Race to the capitol: The Quarter Quell
by The Lonely Geek
Summary: The rebellion never happened, and the games continued. It's another hunger games, but this time it's the 125th games, time for the 5th quarter quell and a new twist. 24 tributes goes in, but who will come out? SYOT closed. Collab with Cct0331
1. Chapter 1: Reading of the card

_**Hi guys, I'm back with another story. This one is a collab I'm doing with Cct0331. We're making it a SYOT (form at bottom of chapter) and all the free places will be up on my profile. Only two tributes per person. If you are a guest and want to create a character, it's fine to leave it in the reviews, but please leave a guest name. Non-guests please PM me (The Lonely Geek) the completed form and please put as much detail as possible as it gives us more to work with and will ultimately make your character better.**_

 _ **We're also doing a sponsor system. For every review that you leave, you earn 5 sponsor points and if you follow or favourite that also earns 5 sponsor points each. When it gets to the games, the prices of sponsor items and how many points everyone has will go up on my profile.**_

 _ **We're not sure when the next update will be up, it depends on how many tributes are submitted and we're in different time zones which makes things harder, but hopefully it shouldn't be too long.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Quarter Quell (125th)- Announcement  
President Hail POV:**

I take a deep breath, going over the words of my speech that I have already memorised. Once I have got through the first half, I will be brought the envelope, marked with the number 125 to represent the fact that it is the 125th hunger games, and I will open it and read the contents of it. Of course I already have read the contents of it and have it memorised, but I have to pretend that I haven't.

"20 seconds 'till cameras start rolling live!" a cameraman shouts over the clamor of the crew setting up. Someone grabs my arm and directs me to the podium. I shake their hand off my arm and step up onto the podium slowly. I look towards the curtains behind which a huge audience of Capitol citizens sits, anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Quell. Far away in the districts, families are probably huddled around the radio listening for the live account of the horrors 24 of their children will be subject to in a week.

"10 seconds!"

I stand still as a crewmember rushes over and hurriedly attaches a microphone to my neck and around the side of my face.

"5 seconds!"

I smooth my electric purple three-piece suit and turn back towards the curtains. "3, 2, 1, rolling!"

I put on my most winning smile and gaze out over the audience as the curtains rise. Feeling my heart quicken with nerves, I take a deep, calming breath. This is my country and these are my people. Nothing to be afraid of. With this mental encouragement, I begin my speech.

"Good evening Panem! I am very pleased to announce the beginning of the 125th annual Hunger Games!" I pause to let the echo in the room die out.  
"As this is the first Quarter Quell since I became your president 7 years ago, I have been given the honor of announcing the Quell for these games. On the 25th hunger games as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district held an election and voted on the tributes that entered the arena. For the 50th hunger games, as a reminder to the rebels that two rebels died for every Capitol citizen killed, each district had to provide twice the number of tributes. On the 75th hunger games, as a reminder to the rebels that they could not overcome their fates, no volunteers were allowed. **(we changed it because Katniss and Peeta pacified the districts on the victory tour so there was no need for the victor's to go into the arena)** For the 100th hunger games, as a reminder to the rebels of the unity of the twelve districts and the Capitol, all twenty-four reaping balls are to be combined into one huge reaping ball, from which twenty-four names will be reaped."

I take a pause here to let the audience reflect on the previous four quarter quells before glancing down at the young girl in front of me who is holding the box containing the yellowing envelopes that contain the details of all the future quarter quells. I carefully select the one marked with 125 and open it. I take a moment to read it so it doesn't look like I have already read it and carefully resealed it again. Then I look up again.

"As you know, usually the Hunger Games are usually a fight-to-the-death with one victor. In these games; however, more than one victor will be possible. This has not been the case since the 74th Hunger Games with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, so it is a very rare opportunity." Once again, I pause to let the audience absorb the information. I decided to begin with the positive aspects of these games to get into a 'Happy Hunger Games' mindset, though the Capitol citizens may not be as pleased with it as the districts. We'll have to make sure that there are plenty of twists throughout the games to make up for the potentially lessened bloodshed.

"In these games, the 24 tributes will be given three weeks, or 21 days, to cross the landscape set before them. Anyone who successfully crosses this terrain in the given time period will be crowned victor. For these games, there could be many victors, no victors, or only one victor. The victor(s) will be given a wonderful life here in the Capitol. The number of family members who can accompany them to the Capitol depends on the number of deaths they accumulate in the arena. For example, if a tribute is personally responsible for three deaths, three family members of their choice will be allowed to join them in the Capitol. The rest of the family must remain in the tribute's district of origin. However, unlike in the games normally, when the victor dies, the family won't have to move back to their old home, the family of the victor(s) will be allowed to stay as permanent citizens of the Capitol."

The Capitol citizens are leaning forward in their seats, trying to grasp every detail of the Quell and commit it to memory. They love the games, and this rule change will completely change the dynamics of the games for them. I try to imagine the reactions in the districts; maybe they are happy about the new victors rule, or maybe they still think it's a horrible tradition. This quell could not have come at a better time though, some of the districts are getting restless. Crime rates have been higher and particularly in District 3, we've had to execute more people for crimes against the Capitol than ever recorded. By allowing them the hope of more than one victor, it may settle them.

I'm not too worried about all this though, there have always been times of unrest in Panem. The most recent being about 50 years ago when Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the games. The stunt they pulled with the berries put the districts on verge of rebellion, but President Snow managed to manipulate Katniss into making sure that on their victory tour, they convinced the districts that they hadn't pulled an act of rebellion, it was merely an act of love.

I realize everyone is still waiting for me to conclude my speech. Hastily, I finish, saying, "I look forward to watching the reaping for this Quarter Quell. As always, happy Hunger Games and May the odds be ever in your favor!"

I continue smiling at the audience and camera as the curtains close. Finally someone yells "Cut!" and I step down from the podium. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as a crewman unfastens the microphone. Now I need to see what the game makers have planned for the landscape the tributes will be getting across.

 **Rey Andric POV (random Capitol citizen):**

I stand up and turn off the TV. The Quell for this year should be interesting. I was hoping for something with more bloodshed, but I suppose it will be okay. The game makers know how much at the people here in the Capitol love the games and they are sure to make it interesting. I think the family incentive will give them a reason to kill if they can. I hope it does. This is the first Hunger Games my son will actually be able to see and understand, and I want him to experience the best entertainment. He's lucky that the first games he is watching is a quarter quell. I've never been able to watch a quell live, I was only young when it was the time of the fourth quarter quell, so I didn't get to see it. Of course I've watched all four previous quells on TV when they've replayed them, but it's much more fun watching the games in real time.

I can't wait for the games to start. Usually I can scrape up enough money to sponsor, and this time I have some money saved. I think I might sponsor the tributes from district 4 because if the terrain is water, they have a better chance of living. Of course, I will need to make sure that the tributes from 4 are up to scratch this year, I don't want to sponsor some wimpy little kid that has no chance of making it, but District 4 normally has volunteers that end up being pretty strong tributes.

I wonder if the Gamemakers will change the terrain from time to time. If not, these games could get very boring. There's no fun in watching 24 teenagers trying to get across one type of terrain for 3 weeks. I'm sure the game makers will come up with something though. The genetically modified creatures that they create normally cause a lot of drama, so I expect there'll be plenty of those this year.

"Rey! Come to dinner!" my youngest daughter, Reyney, shouts from the kitchen. Standing up, I gather my thoughts as I prepare to explain the Quell to my curious family. Excitement bubbles through me as I walk through, I have a feeling these games are going to be the best games so far.

 **SYOT form (please no Mary Sues):**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:  
**

 **Family (include age and jobs and any background to them):**

 **Friends:**

 **Backstory:**

 **District:**

 **Age:**

 **Physical appearance (hair/eye/skin color, height, weight, posture, etc.):**

 **Personality (introvert/extrovert, favorite things, personality quirks, etc.):**

 **Reaped or volunteered (if reaped what was their reaction, if volunteered why):**

 **Opinion on the quell and will they be willing to kill so their family can come to the Capitol with them:**

 **Training score (low, medium or high):**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Weapon of choice:**

 **Would they ally or not:**

 **Bloodbath strategy:**

 **Games strategy:**

 **Additional information:**


	2. Chapter 2: Kellan Bronz - D1M

_**We still have quite a few places left in the SYOT, so the form is at the bottom of the chapter again. Remember reviews/follows/favourites will earn you sponsor points.**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, we love hearing from you guys.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Kellan Bronz's reaping, submitted by Cloudoffeathers.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

 **Reaping day**

Yawning, I look up at the ceiling and listen to the sounds of my younger brother, Lorrick, sleeping in the bunk below me. I'm glad he was able to sleep, I certainly wasn't. I hardly got any sleep because I was up all night worrying about the reaping. I have mixed feelings about going into the arena because I wish I could stay here in my bed. But I can't. I have to bring honor to my family, or something.

I realize the rhythmic breathing has stopped. Lorrick must be awake. I roll over and look at the bunk next to mine and see that Fritz, Cash, and Coin are all awake. Fritz, as usual, is twisting the bedsheets together to form some sort of knot, and the twins, Cash and Coin, are whispering to one another. I rub my eyes and sit up, shaking my hair out. The room is still dark, but I might as well turn the light on and get ready. I hear loud groans of complaint from Lorrick as I reach over and flip the light switch.

"Uurrrgg…" he grumbles, "Turn it back off!"

"Nope!" I say, clambering down onto his bunk. "Up you get! Its reaping day!" By this point Cash and Coin have left the room, presumably to fulfil whatever they were scheming earlier. Those two will have to behave a lot better when I go into the arena. Honestly, they are probably the world's most cunning 5-year-olds, ever! I grab an elastic from my closet and tie back my hair. Cooper, my dog, runs up to me and starts lapping at my ankles, begging to be fed. I pour some dog food and water into his bowls and rub his stomach.

When I get downstairs, I see my whole family, except Lorrick. Somehow, Fritz must have slipped out of the room while I was changing. My father and mother are in a quiet conversation at the head of the table, my sisters, Allie and Glinte are both eating, Fritz is reading the newspaper, and Cash and Coin are 'washing' the dishes with a suspicious looking fluid. Everyone stops when I walk in.

"Son! Ready to make us proud today?" my father says in a loud voice.

"Remember, I'll love you whether you win or not, though if not, you'll be dead, so i-" my mother rambles, not realizing how disheartening her statements are.

"Lollin!" my father exclaims, "Don't say stuff like that! Of course, he'll win!"

"Thanks, dad" I say, fresh fear beginning to take control of me. I take a few, deep breaths and remember why I'm doing this. I have to win to bring honor to my family. It's the only way to get rid of the scorn surrounding us. It wasn't always like this. Back when it was just me and my older, now gone, brother Tyler, we were like a normal district one family. Now however, my parents are mocked for having too many children. By the time Cash and Coin came around, we were laughing stocks. I have gotten into many fights to protect my family, but this is the first opportunity I have to really make a difference. I must win.

As the capitol worker injects my arm, I scan the crowd, quickly locating Al, my best friend. Her real name is Allebast, but she says that has too many syllables. I find her, already in her roped-off area and wave. She waves back and mouths Are you ready? at me. I shrug and she nods, acknowledging my worries. You'll do great she reassures me, and turns back to the stage. **  
**I join my group, the 18-year-old males, and attempt to mentally prepare myself for the weeks to come. Hopefully, I will be in the capitol very shortly! The hard thing is that if I want to have my whole family join me, I will have to kill 9 people. Thankfully, I am saved from thinking of that horrific thought by the beginning of the reaping.

"Welcome!" our district representative yells, "I am very honored to announce the tributes from District 1! First, the female tribute." **  
**She walks over to the large glass bowl and plucks a card from the side. **  
**"The female tribute is… Tilsee Sky!" the crowd gasps and I see a little 12-year-old girl burst into tears as she squeezes her friends hand tightly. Thankfully, this is district 1, and no one who is reaped ever actually goes into the arena. Sure enough, an 18-year-old, tall, muscly, girl steps forward and volunteers in her place. I see the friend of the 12-year-old girl comforting her and whispering soothing words into her ear.

The volunteer, Gabrielle Duponte, walks, head held high, to the stage. She has the appearance of someone who has attempted to detach themselves from the rest of the world.

"Now, the male tribute!" I hear our representative announce, "Argon Lowcreek!" **  
**I experience a moment of hesitation. Do I really want to do this? Am I willing to put my life at risk, just for honor? But then I think of the countless fights Glinte has come home from, claiming that the other person was worse off than she. I think of the hope in my parent's eyes, and my whole family sitting around the dinner table. Anything is worth it for them.

"I volunteer!" I shout, stepping forward. I see Al nodding and smiling and I know that I will make it to the Capitol, just to see that smile again.

The seat I sit at in the visiting room has got to be one of the best things ever. In fact, the entire room has a very cool, soothing, swirl vibe to it. The seat and walls are made of lava lamp material, and are slowly flowing and bubbling. Probably, this room is specifically designed for calming down the tribute. It certainly seems to be working on me. By the time my family and friends show up, I am almost completely relaxed.

First, my parents and younger siblings arrive. They hold me close and my dad whispers words of encouragement in my ear. All too soon, the peacekeeper is signaling that my time is almost up. **  
**I turn to the twins saying, "You guys have to be good for mom and dad while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay!" they both reply. Allie starts to leave, but then turns back and says, her eyes welling up with tears, "I know you can win, just make sure that when you come back you are still the brother I love." Glinte gives me one last hug, and then runs after her older sister.

"Fritz," I say, turning to my 12-year-old brother who just survived his first reaping, "Can you feed Cooper for me while I'm gone? Remember, I always admired your calm attitude while the rest of us were neck-deep in trouble. Stay chill, little bro."

"And you, Lorrick, I love you, even when you are a pain" I say, half chuckling, half crying. Next, I am visited by Tyler, my eldest brother, who left the house a year ago. He comes in and gives me a hug before telling me some random stuff about how he always wanted to be in my place and that I need to live up to his standards. Mostly, I realize that he is jealous that I am going into the arena, because he was never able to.

Lastly, Al runs in and gives me a big hug. She and I have always been the closest of friends, and I will probably miss her more than anyone else. She won the female volunteering rights, but didn't want to compete with me, so she decided not to volunteer.

"You have to win for both of us" she orders, shaking my shoulder, "I'll sponsor you as much as I can and am waiting for you to make it to the Capitol. Don't make me have given up my spot as tribute for nothing." She pauses and I know what she will say because she told me this before every fight at school,

"Win for me, win for you, but most of all, win for your family, Kellan!"


	3. Chapter 3: Gabrielle Duponte - D1F

_**Thank you to everyone who has left reviews, we love hearing from you guys. There are still places in the SYOT so just check my profile for the free positions, but we've had a few tributes outside of the careers who have trained so we're now asking that if you're not submitting a tribute from a career district, they cannot have had previous training because we need weaker tributes.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Gabrielle Duponte's reaping, submitted by TheAmazingJAJ.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)**

 **Reaping day**

I grin as I open my eyes. Today is the day. Today is the day that I will remember for the rest of my life. Today is the day that everyone will remember as the start. The start of my rise to fame. Today is the day that I am going to volunteer for the hunger games. Some people may wonder why I am volunteering. I don't need the money. My family is pretty much the richest in District 1. That was just pure luck though.

My family used to have to work very hard and both of my older brothers got apprenticeships as jewellery makers when they were 14, but then my dad won big on a bet in the hunger games. He impulsively made a bet on a tribute that had small odds of winning, about 100-1. At the time he said that he had a hunch about it and he ended up being right. He won about 100 grand, which compared to people in the Capitol isn't that much, but we invested in it well and I have a luxurious life now.

After those games my parents paid for me to go to the Academy. I absolutely adored it from day 1 and on my 18th birthday I decided that I would volunteer for these games. I want glory and to bring pride to my district.

"Morning Gabrielle." My mom comes into the room smiling a few minutes later. "It's your big day."

"I'm so excited." I smile, getting out of bed. "Is it alright if I go with Tanya to get a couple of our of training in before the reaping?"

"Of course, I'm hardly going to say no am I? It's not like you need it though, you beat everyone else in the Academy to become the chosen female tribute." She says, not quite looking at me. My mum's blind. She used to work in a gem factory but the glare from the gems meant that her eye sight was affected. Maybe if she were in the Capitol, her eyesight could have been saved, but here she just has to live with it.

She's also not strictly correct about beating everyone else in the competition to see who the female volunteer would be. On the day of the competition, I put laxatives in the juice at the Academy so it was only me and the handful of other girls who drank that water who could compete. I have no doubt that I could've beaten them all, it would have just taken up my whole day when I could've spent my time being more productive.

"You're going to be amazing." Tanya smiles, as I step out of my house in my reaping outfit (a pale blue dress with a slim black belt) after I have trained for a while and gone back to my house to prepare myself for the reaping.

"Thanks." I smile, adjusting the strap of my dress slightly. I don't normally wear dresses, they restrict movement too much, but the Capitol like it when volunteers look pretty so I can put up with it for a few hours for the sake of potential sponsors.

"You were amazing when you were training earlier, I'm not surprised you're the chosen tribute, the other tributes won't stand a chance." The next half hour or so is a blur: walking to the reaping, signing in, waiting around until everyone arrives. The next bit is just boring, but the escort has to do it: read out the peace treaty made in the dark days and the long list of past victors from District 1. Only next year there will be at least one more: my name and possibly the male volunteer. I'm not sure who he is yet.

"The female tribute is… Tilsee Sky!" People begin to gasp at this as a 12 year old girl begins to sob. This is my chance to shine. I can't back down now. If I don't volunteer this girl will die.

"I volunteer." I shout, pushing my way forwards quickly. There have been occasions where someone other than the selected person to volunteer has volunteered and I can't let that happen to me. I don't think any of them have even made it out of the games so it just goes to show their stupidity isn't worth it.

"Now, the male tribute!" The woman says, once I have taken my place next to her. I watch as her wig wobbles slightly as she walks to the male reaping bowl. "Argon Lowcreek!" She cries happily. There is a short pause and for a moment I think that whoever the volunteer is has chickened out but then I hear the familiar:

"I volunteer." Let the games begin.

"We're so proud of you." My parents are the first to come and visit me in the hour I have to come and say goodbye. Then my dad passes me the necklace that I am taking into the arena as my token.

"Thanks." I say taking it and flipping the locket open. Inside, as I requested is a photo of my family on one side and Tanya on the other. I close it once more and put it on. I chose my token carefully, I may be able to use it to strangle someone or chuck to distract them in the arena.

"Good luck." Suzanne, my brother, Francisco's, girlfriend says when my parents leave and they come in. She gives me a quick hug. We've always got on quite well.

"I'm so proud of my little sister." Francisco tells me. "In a few weeks we'll be living in the Capitol. Shawn told me to give this to you." He hands me a small piece of paper. Shawn's my other brother. He had to leave yesterday because he's applying to be a peacekeeper and they took all the potential candidates for a couple of days training. It's just unfortunate that it happened to clash with the reaping. We said goodbye before he left though. I take the note and put it in my pocket. I'll read it on the way to the Capitol. Tanya comes in last.

"I'll miss you when you're in the Capitol." She says to me. "When you're living there."

"I'm sure that they'll let me come and visit you every so often and maybe when in a year that I'm mentoring and we have a victor, I'll see you on the victory tours. She nods.

"And we can call every day." I nod. I will miss Tanya, but I need to bring glory to District 1.

 **SYOT form (please no Mary Sues):**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:  
**

 **Family (include age and jobs and any background to them):**

 **Friends:**

 **Backstory:**

 **District:**

 **Age:**

 **Physical appearance (hair/eye/skin color, height, weight, posture, etc.):**

 **Personality (introvert/extrovert, favorite things, personality quirks, etc.):**

 **Reaped or volunteered (if reaped what was their reaction, if volunteered why):**

 **Opinion on the quell and will they be willing to kill so their family can come to the Capitol with them:**

 **Training score (low, medium or high):**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Weapon of choice:**

 **Would they ally or not:**

 **Bloodbath strategy:**

 **Games strategy:**

 **Additional information:**


	4. Chapter 4: Lucina Aquila - D2F

_**There are still a couple of places left in the SYOT so the form will be on the bottom of the chapter once more, same rules as always. Check out my (The Lonely Geek's) profile for the list of tributes that we don't have yet. Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys and please feel free to give us constructive criticism, we want to know what we could do better, we're writing this for you guys after all.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Lucina Aquila's reaping, submitted by Eludros.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

 **Reaping day**

As the knife approaches my head I duck down and hold my spear up to deflect it. Behind me I can hear the sounds of footsteps approaching so I quickly spin around just in time to block a sword swinging towards my chest. As the sword swings again, I push my feet off the ground and curl my body up as I spin through the air behind my opponent. Before they can turn to face me I hold the tip of my spear up to their throat.

"Very good." Marco, my trainer, smiles as I wipe a small bead of sweat that is running down my forehead. "Go get washed and head to the reaping." He tells me, and I nod, walking over to put my spear back on the rack.

I've just been getting some last minute training in ahead of the reaping in a couple of hours time. Not that I need it, I have prepared fully for these games. There may not be only one person coming out of that arena, but I will be one of the people coming out alive. It will ensure my family can lead a life of luxury in the Capitol. I owe it to my family to volunteer today.

When I was younger, I became very ill and my family couldn't afford the medicine so my dad, who was a peacekeeper official, took bribes so that my parents could get the medicine needed for me. I got better, but he got caught and arrested. He was very lucky not to get executed but my family have struggled to get enough money ever since. It was only a few years later that I realised how much my family sacrificed for me. Now I will repay that sacrifice by winning the games and then we can live a life of luxury, never having to worry about money. I just need to make four kills in the games to ensure my family can come with me.

I go to my locker and grab my bag. I take a small bottle of deodorant and spray it all over me, coughing slightly, to mask the scent of my sweat until I can get home and wash properly. I pull my hair out of the tight ponytail that I had it in for training and let it hang down just past my shoulders. Closing my locker, I take a huge swig of water out of my bottle before putting it back in and walking out of the academy for the last time.

I'll miss this place. It became my second home once I decided that I would volunteer some day. Lots of people my age spend a lot of time here, but none as much as me. It stood me out as a bit of a loner, but I don't care. I needed to be the best and if that meant sacrificing a social life, so be it. They won't be looking at me like I'm a weirdo when I'm in the Capitol with my family.

"Ready?" Marcella, one of my best friends smiles at me as I walk towards her at the intersection of the two streets that we live on.

"I was born ready." I smile.

"Clearly Priscilla wasn't though, she's late." She says, glancing down at her watch. I look at her outfit properly and smile. She's just wearing ripped jeans and a hoody, pretty much the exact opposite of what I'm wearing. Well I guess she knows that she's not going to the Capitol, whereas I am guaranteed a ticket on that train later. I'm wearing a dress that has a fairly simple style. It is fairly tight around my chest, but flows out slightly until it reaches just above my knees. It's a sheeny gold colour and has a small line of gold sparkles around the hem. It's the most expensive thing I own and I had to save up all my birthday money for three years to buy it. I have down my hair in a halo braid with a small curl of hair left out that is tucked behind my ear. I wanted to look perfect for the reaping.

We hang around for a few minutes until we see Priscilla running towards us, her hair beginning to fall out of the bun that she must have put up in a rush. "Sorry," She puffs. "My mum tried to get me to take Samuel to the reaping." Samuel's her younger brother and it's his first reaping today. He's really nervous about it even though no one from District 2 ever goes into the arena unless they volunteer. It just doesn't happen.

"Let's go." I say, not wanting to be late for my big moment. We quickly hurry towards the main square and see that there are still long lines of people signing in so join the big. After a while of waiting we make it to the front and they take a drop of our blood each and we are directed to pens near the front of the stage. I zone out when the reaping finally begins. The first part is just the escort reading out a load of irrelevant stuff. I'm not really sure, I've never listened to it so I wouldn't know.

"As usual, I will pick the female tribute first." I don't even wait for her to unfold the piece of paper that has the name of a girl in the crowds here.

"I volunteer." I will bring honour back to my family. I will repay my dad for losing his job on my account. I will return out of that arena with 4 kills under my belt. I have to.

"Oh honey, good luck." Mum says to me, blinking rapidly to stop tears from falling from her eyes. She's really worried about me going into the games, but it's my decision to make and she knew that she wouldn't be able to change my mind.

"Thanks." I smile, leaning in for a hug.

"It'll be the other tributes who need luck." Dad tells me. "You're incredible at fighting, they'll need to watch their backs with you around."

"I know." I say. I'm probably only going to kill 4 people. There's no need for unnecessary death. After all, the only ones who should be killed are those who are prepared to kill. Gaius and Junius, my two younger brothers come in once my parents have gone.

"You're gonna be great." Gaius grins. They both idolise me because of my fighting skills. They don't know about what happened with dad being bribed and don't know why other families shun us.

"I can't wait to come and live in the Capitol with you." Junius tells me.

"Neither can I." I smile at them, I have to get them out of District 2. They never really knew any life other than the one after my dad lost his job. They deserve a life of luxury and this is my opportunity to give it to them.

 **SYOT form (please no Mary Sues):**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:  
**

 **Family (include age and jobs and any background to them):**

 **Friends:**

 **Backstory:**

 **District:**

 **Age:**

 **Physical appearance (hair/eye/skin color, height, weight, posture, etc.):**

 **Personality (introvert/extrovert, favorite things, personality quirks, etc.):**

 **Reaped or volunteered (if reaped what was their reaction, if volunteered why):**

 **Opinion on the quell and will they be willing to kill so their family can come to the Capitol with them:**

 **Training score (low, medium or high):**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Weapon of choice:**

 **Would they ally or not:**

 **Bloodbath strategy:**

 **Games strategy:**

 **Additional information:**


	5. Chapter 5: Darius Vaide - D2M

_**There is only one unreserved spot left in the SYOT so if you want to get a tribute in, hurry. We've decided that we'll b updating once a week on weekends now to make our updates regular. Thank you for all your reviews, and please let us know what you think of this chapter.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Dariu Vaide's reaping, submitted by RVTWriter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

 **Reaping day**

A wide smile comes across my face as I step outside. Today is the last day I will spend in District 2. Tonight I will be on the train to the Capitol. I can't wait. I've trained for this my whole life and today is finally reaping day. Winning will be even sweeter this year because I will live the rest of the days with my family in the Capitol.

I've been training for this since I was 5. Me and my twin sister, Chandra started then. Technically you were supposed to be older because it's considered dangerous for 5 year olds to be around weapons, but our mum is a trainer there. Plus it's technically illegal to train for the hunger games at all, but since when has that stopped District 2?

"Hey Darius," Lea smiles as I close the front door. "Your big day." My heart beats slightly faster as I look into her deep chocolate brown eyes. I've had a crush on Lea since forever, but I haven't told her. She'd never see me like that. I see the way that she looks at Ajax, my best friend. She has eyes for him only. He has no idea though. He's pretty clueless when it comes to girls.

"I'm gonna miss you guys." I say, turning to Ajax and Jaco who are standing next to Lea. "When I'm in the Capitol."

"We'll miss you too." Ajax says. "But you're too good at fighting not to volunteer for the games. You're not gonna lose. There's not going to be anyone else in that arena that's better than you at fighting."

"Yeah, you completely destroyed your competitors in the competition to see who would volunteer." Jaco says. "I still can't quite believe that you broke Tamlin's leg when he refused to back down." I shrug.

"He wouldn't back down when it was a fight that he couldn't win. Sometimes the bravest thing to do is acknowledge that you're weaker than the other person. Plus I knew what I was doing, I knew it may hurt his pride for a while but it wasn't too serious."

"It was hilarious." Ajax laughs. "He was so cocky and to see him get squashed like a bug..." He trails off.

"Anyone hungry?" I ask. I've got some cash on me and this is the last day I have to spend with my friends. I need to make it count.

"When are we not?" Lea grins.

"Fancy some waffles?" I ask and they all immediately grin. Waffles are pretty expensive here, but soon I'll be rich so I can afford to splash out on a waffle each. "Let's go then." I reply and they all immediately start running, eager to get their waffles.

"As usual, I will pick the female first." The escort tells us, picking out a name. Before she can even read it out, someone has volunteered.

"I volunteer." Lucina, the selected female tribute, calls. She's a pretty good fighter and I wasn't surprised when she won rights to volunteer. I think that I'm better though. I will be the one to bring pride to my district and get my family to live in the Capitol. I wait for the escort to move to the other side of the stage to select the male tribute.

"Zander Callis." She reads out. I don't know who he is but I don't leave him any time to step out and walk up to the stage before I shout.

"I volunteer." I call and the crowd in front of me parts so that I can walk up to the stage. There's no turning back now. I step forwards with a confident smile and swagger to my step. The Capitol need to know that I'm confident about going into the arena. Confidence wins sponsors and sponsors makes life in the arena easier.

"I'm so proud." My mum smiles at me. "You can do this Darius, just remember everything that I've taught you."

"I know," I say, leaning in to hug her. "I can do this, I had the best teacher of course."

"I don't know about that." Mum smiles. "I'm sure there are many people better at fighting than me." I shake my head though.

"Nope, you're the best. Anyway, it won't matter soon because we can all live in the Capitol together." I remind her. I only need two kills to get you and Chandra there." Mum'll never have to work another day in her life. I can't wait. Things were difficult when my dad died in a mining accident, but we're fighters so we pulled through. I think it's difficult for mum being in the same place that dad died, because there are constant reminders of him everywhere. We can have a completely fresh start in the Capitol.

"Come home safely." Chandra tells me once mum's visiting time is up. "You'll be fine. You'll be back before you know it."

"I'll miss you." I tell her. Chandra means the world to me. I'd do anything for her. It's partly why I'm volunteering, so that she'll have a life of luxury. I've just got to win the games first.

 **SYOT form (please no Mary Sues):**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:  
**

 **Family (include age and jobs and any background to them):**

 **Friends:**

 **Backstory:**

 **District:**

 **Age:**

 **Physical appearance (hair/eye/skin color, height, weight, posture, etc.):**

 **Personality (introvert/extrovert, favorite things, personality quirks, etc.):**

 **Reaped or volunteered (if reaped what was their reaction, if volunteered why):**

 **Opinion on the quell and will they be willing to kill so their family can come to the Capitol with them:**

 **Training score (low, medium or high):**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Weapon of choice:**

 **Would they ally or not:**

 **Bloodbath strategy:**

 **Games strategy:**

 **Additional information:**


	6. Chapter 6: Aillen Kennedy - D3F

_**Thank you for all your reviews, please let us know what you think of this chapter.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Aillen Kennedy's reaping, submitted by TheAmazingJAJ**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Aileen Kennedy's POV (District 3 female)**

 **Reaping day**

"Hey Aileen." Tessa smiles at me. "Come in, I expect Harriet's still in bed." I step inside the spacious hall and quickly wipe my feet on her mat and take off my shoes so that I don't get dirt on her immaculate carpet. In my house no one bothers with formalities like this, but Harriet's house is always spotless. They have a cleaner to do it all for them. It's one of the privileges of living in Victors' village. I've been in most of the houses her. My dad's job is to maintain all the houses properly so that there's no damage to the empty ones and generally makes the place look tidy.

Growing up by Victors' village has been quite lonely. District 3 isn't like Districts 1, 2 or 4 where they have a victor at least once every 5 years. It's had a few, more than some of the outer most districts like 11 and 12. Before I was 10, my dad didn't let me or my twin brother, Duncan, in Victors' village because he didn't want us to cause a nuisance for the victors. They deserve their life of luxury after all. He realised that we were lonely after a while so it's fine now. My best friend, Harriet is a daughter of a victor, Tessa Adler, victor of the 82nd games. I'm also friends with Olivia Narcatto, victor of the 115th games. Harriet and I are friendly with all the victors though and her house is pretty much my second home.

"Is that Aileen already?" Harriet says, coming down the stairs, still wearing the long shirt and shorts she wears as pyjamas. Her is tangled and sticking out in clumps and she is rubbing her eyes blearily.

"What did I tell you?" Tessa laughed. "Yes Harriet, I can make you both breakfast if you want."

"I've already eaten." I say quickly. I had some warm, mushy grain before I left. Dad works hard so Duncan and I don't take tesserae, but we're not rich by any stretch of the imagination so we only buy plain, cheap food. We get by though which is more than some people in District 3.

"It's fine, there's plenty. We've got bacon and eggs with fresh bread." Tessa smiles.

"Thank you." I say. I haven't had bacon in ages. I can't afford it, but sometimes, like today, I go to Harriet's house before she has had breakfast so Tessa insists on feeding me a second breakfast. "Would you like me to cut the bread?"

"It's fine, see Harriet, Aileen is so polite, I can't remember the last time you offered to help me out." Tessa says to Harriet who just rolls her eyes and when her mum turns away sticks her tongue out at me. "I saw that." Her mum says as I snigger.

"You weren't even looking!" Harriet exclaims, outraged.

"I didn't need to." Harriet just rolls her eyes at this.

"Give me a minute to get changed." She tells me, before heading up the stairs again. I wander through to the kitchen while I wait.

"Nervous about today?" Tessa asks as the kitchen fills with the smell of frying bacon. I shrug slightly. Today is reaping day. I'm not that nervous, my name is only in the required number of times so I only have a slim chance. I know that Tessa will be nervous though. Every once in a while, a victor's child is reaped. It's set up, it has to be to have the amount of victor's children that there have been in the games. She's scared that the next one could be Harriet.

"Aileen Kennedy." I listen in shock hours later. The world around me begins to spin before I manage to get a grip on myself and in a zombie-like trance, make my way up onto the stage. I never thought that I would be picked. My name was only in a few times. There was only a small chance of being reaped. "And the male tribute is..." There's a pause as the escort picks out a name from the reaping bowl. "Louis Sallis." There's a pause as an older boy begins to make his way forwards. He looks as petrified as I do.

"I volunteer as tribute." Everyone turns to look as quite a tall boy walks up. I recognise him as the son of one of the gang leaders in District 3. I wonder why he volunteered. Volunteers are a rare thing in District 3.

"You gotta win Aileen." Duncan says, pulling me in for a hug as soon as he and dad comes to say goodbye.

"I'll try." I tell him. "I'll do my best." He nods.

"Don't kill unless you have to. It doesn't matter if you go to the Capitol without us. Duncan and I just want you safe." Dad tells me.

"Okay, I don't think I would be able to kill anyway." I tell them.

"Don't let the others know that." Duncan tells me. "Not even your district partner. You have to keep your weaknesses secret. The others want to win just as much as you do, you can't give them an edge." We carry on like this, them giving me advice until they are told they must leave and Harriet comes in.

"I'm sorry." She tells me. "I wish there was something I could do."

"You're mom will be there." I remind her. Her mom always goes even on the years she's not mentoring. I'm pretty sure Harriet mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she is mentoring this year. "And Olivia probably. Most of them normally go for the food even if they're not mentoring."

"Good luck, you can win this." She tells me, and we sit, hugging in silence until she has to leave. I have no more visitors and a part of me is slightly disappointed. I had thought, hoped, that maybe my mom would come to say goodbye. She left when I was 3 and I've never seen her since. Dad doesn't really talk about why she left and Duncan and I never asked. We thought it might be too painful for him. She could've at least bothered to come and say goodbye though. I am still her daughter after all.


	7. Chapter 7:Nyan Donne - D3M

**_Once again, thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys._**

 _ **This chapter is of Nyan Donne's reaping, submitted by .**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Nyan Donne's POV (District 3 male)**

 **Reaping day**

"Nyan and I will go." Vista says quickly and I nod, desperate to get out of the house and away from my family.

"We've got time before the reaping."

"Fine," Dad says, and I have to stop myself from heaving a sigh of relief. "Make sure you get good meat, I want to celebrate your last reaping in style." I nod. If it's not perfect I expect someone'll be killed. That's what normally happens if someone goes wrong. There's an accident. Or a suicide. That's what the peacekeepers pronounce anyway. I know better of course. It won't matter today anyway though because I am going to volunteer. I need to get out of here and it's my one chance that I will ever have to go and take Vista and Archie with me. We can't stay here.

My dad and Vista's dad are the head of one of the major drug gangs in District 3. He wants me to take over his role next year, but I don't want to. Vista's father also treats her badly. They're always trying to get us to do jobs for them, but neither of us want to do it so we never do it properly. Our dads don't know about Vista and I dating. They'd soon bring it to a stop if they did. The only people that know about our relationship is Archie, my younger brother and Vista's mum. I never knew my own mum because she died giving birth to Archie, but Vista's mum is exactly how I imagine a mum in law to be. Hopefully one day she will be my mum in law.

That's why I'm volunteering. For Vista and Archie. This is the only chance we'll ever have because we'd never be able to run away, and this year is the quarter quell. This year, if I make it home with two kills under my belt, I can live a life away from mine and Vista's dad, in the Capitol with my brother and girlfriend. Last year I tried to challenge mine and Vista's dad. It didn't go well and I have a long curving scar on my neck to prove it. As long as we live in District 3, none of us will be safe.

Archie's even more scared of our dad than I am. It's got worse recently, since Archie told me that he was gay. He hasn't told dad because... well he didn't need to tell me not to tell him. The things he says already told him what he would think of Archie.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Vista asks me as soon as we're out of earshot of my dad. I nod.

"I'd do anything for you and Archie and this is the only way we can be together and not be in fear of our dads." I tell her. She's really worried about me going into the arena. She's the only person that knows that I am going to volunteer. I haven't even told Archie. "I would rather die fighting to get you out of here than live here the rest of my life, constantly in fear." She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses me slowly on the lips. Feeling her lips against mine is the best feeling in the world. It can't last though. I break away. "Not here." I say. She nods.

"I know." And we continue to walk on. My hand goes to my coat pocket where I fiddle with the ring that is in there. I've been contemplating when to ask her ever since they announced the quell. I scraped together some money that my dad gives me for doing jobs and managed to buy a ring. It was when I decided that I would volunteer. I decide to do it now. I may never see Vista again after today, what's the worst thing that can happen? I wait until we are walking down an alleyway with no one else in site before bending down and pretending to tie up my shoe laces, the ring in my finger. Vista waits patiently.

I hold the ring out to her and she gasps. "Vista, life hasn't been easy for us." I begin. "Our love would be forbidden by our dad's but screw them." She laughs slightly here, still in shock. "Vista, I would be honoured if you would marry me."

"I-I don't know what to say." She whispers, holding her hand over her mouth in amazement.

"Yes would be good." I smile.

"Of course." She tells me, holding her hand out for me to put the ring on. "I just never expected it to happen so soon." I slip it on her finger, though we both know that this is pointless because she will only have to take it off again when we depart ways to go to our different homes. "I love you." She whispers and we kiss once more.

And the male tribute is..." My heart begins to pound later on at the reaping. This is it. After Vista said yes, we went to buy the meat and then went our separate ways. I always go to the reaping with Archie. Vista and I normally meet up together afterwards. At least she wasn't reaped. I didn't even recognise the girl who was reaped. Vista is safe from the hunger games forever more now. Today was her last reaping. It's also mine, but I, unlike her, am going into the arena. "Louis Sallis." The escort calls out. I know what I must do, to protect those I love.

"I volunteer." I shout, walking up. I catch Vista's eye as I walk up and she gives me a weak smile. I also see Archie's face among the crowds as I am walking up the stairs. I can see in his eyes that he has realised why I am doing this.

He is the first to visit me in the visiting hour. "Why Nyan?" He yells coming in, tears streaming down his face. "I hate you." I whispers, falling into my arms.

"This is for you." I tell him. "You have to understand that right? This is our one chance to get out of here."

"Why do you have to be so noble?" He mutters.

"I know. Whatever happens in the arena though, whatever happens, I love you. This was my choice and none of this is your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"I love you." He tells me. "Was this your plan since the quell was announced?"

"Yeah. I only need two kills and me, you and Vista can live a happy life in the Capitol."

"Don't do anything stupid." He tells me.

"Think I already did that." I say, trying to make him smile and I think it works. He gives a small hiccup, that must be the mixture of a laugh and a sob.

"Nyan?"

"Yeah?"

"I found a ring under your pillow the other day, was that for Vista?" I smile slightly as he looks at me. I nod.

"I asked her today."

"Can I be your best man?" He asks. He doesn't even ask if she said yes. He doesn't need to. He knows how close we are. "When you have a big fancy wedding in the Capitol."

"Who else would I ask?" We talk for a few more minutes before he is forced out by a peacekeeper and Vista and her mum come in.

"Congratulations." Vista's mum smiles. "Vista told me about the engagement."

"Thanks." I smile.

"Just make sure you're around for the wedding."

"I count on it." I smile and Vista brings the ring out and pulls a small bit of string out of her pocket.

"Will you take it, as your token?" I nod as she threads the ring onto the string, knots it and puts it around my head. "There, now you can always remember why you are in the arena."

"I would never forget my love for you." I tell her and we both lean in to kiss.


	8. Chapter 8: Kaitlin Gem - D4F

**_Once again, thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys._**

 _ **This chapter is of Kaitlin Gem's reaping, submitted by Team Shadow.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Kaitlin Gem's POV (District 4 female, aged 18)**

 **Reaping day** **  
**I wake up and jump out of bed quickly. Rushing over to my calendar, I grab a pen from my desk and mark off the last day. Finally! The day I can bring joy and honor to my family. Quickly, I pull on a pair of work-out leggings and a shirt. I brush my hair and pull it back in a ponytail. Then I quietly creep out the door with a backpack slung over my shoulder. I made it. The last day of preparation before the fame is all mine! I can't wait to see the look on my parents face when I come out of the arena. The quell this year will make the fame less if more people win. All I have to focus on is winning in style. I have to be the best victor there is.

At this point, I have arrived at the training center. I reach into the front pocket of my backpack and remove the set of keys. Technically, I shouldn't have these, but I stole them after I realized that I needed more time to train. I unlock the door and set my backpack down. After stretching and warming up, I grab five throwing knives. I walk 20 meters away from the target and throw. All five hit the bullseye. I recover my knives and set the target to move and shift position. Under this setting, I only hit three out of five. I need to work on that when I get to training, but this is definitely what I will show the Gamemakers.

An hour and a half later, I jump in the gym showers. The showers at home are nicer, but if my parents found out I was going to volunteer for the games they would freak. I have to volunteer though. It's my only way to become famous, way out here in the districts. If I lived in the Capitol, I would be able to become a famous movie star or singer, I am pretty enough, but I live in the stupid districts. I will live in the Capitol in just 4 weeks though. I can't wait!

At 9:00, I meet my friend Amy in the Plaza. She, as expected, is wearing a revealing top with short shorts and is surrounded by boys.

"Amy!", I call over the noise of the crowd. She looks up, her dark brown hair waving in the sea wind. Usually, she would be in a swimsuit, but today she must be more formal for the reapings. She's the only one who knows I'm volunteering today. She was training with me, but dropped out because she decided she didn't like the feeling of sweat on her perfectly-moisturized skin. Her hazel eyes sparkle with mischief as she responds.

"Hi Kaitlin! Ready for your big day of fame!"

"Amy, shut up!", I holler back, attempting to shush her inconspicuously. Unfortunately, one of her many admirers hears our quick interchange and asks the dreaded question,

What? Why would you be excited for the reaping? It's not like you could win!". That last comment almost made me scream in frustration and anger. I threw a knife at his head, but managed to restrain myself. He would see how 'weak' I was when I volunteered and won these games!

"Just forget it!" I said through clenched teeth, "You'll see later"

"Come on!" called Amy, "Let's get some shaved ice before the reapings!" I ran after her, glancing back only once at the docks where I grew up. In just 3 hours, I would be riding away from the ocean on my way to the Capitol.

Finally, those three hours passed, and the reapings were beginning. Amy and I filed into the ranks with all the other district 4 teens. I felt one of the managers grab my arm and stab it with a needle.

"Kaitlin Gem, 18 years old, right" she clarified.

"That's me!" I said cheerily. She looked at me confusedly because no one is ever happy on reaping day. As I take my place with the other 18 year old girls, I begin to feel my first inkling of fear. I've never done this before. What if someone volunteers before me? What if I don't make it home alive?The what-ifs are worrying me, but thankfully the reapings start.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" shouts the District 4 escort, I'm not sure of her name and I don't recognise her from last year which means she must be new. "Welcome to the District 4, 125th annual hunger games! I know all of you just want to hear the names of the tributes representing district 4, so let's begin." My adrenaline is pumping. This is my chance to make history. If I screw this up, my life is ruined.

"Ladies first! The female tribute from District 4, for the 125 annual hunger games is…. Kara Highfield!" a scuffle around the 16 year olds as everyone looks at Kara. Suddenly, I remember my duty this year.

"I volunteer as tribute! I volunteer!" I hope everyone heard me, far up on stage.

"It seems we have a volunteer! Join me up here on stage. What's your name darling?

"Kaitlin Gem," I respond, trying to sound and look tough as I turn to face the audience.

"Kaitlin Gem, the female tribute from District 4!" everyone cheers and I see her admirer staring at me open-mouthed. Serves him right. I'm finally going into the arena! I can't wait for "Female tribute from District 4" to turn into "Female victor from District 4!"


	9. Chapter 9: Port Tidello - D4M

_**Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys, and remember reviewing earns you sponsor points for when the tributes are in the arena.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Port Tidello's reaping, submitted by Cjborange.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

"Once you've washed up, peg the washing up outside and then you should get some extra training in before the reaping." Dad tells me.

"Yes sir." I say, trying not to sigh. Even on reaping day, he's not going to let up on giving me chores. I've always had to do a lot of chores and have been brought up with strict rules. It comes from having a former peacekeeper as a father. Of course, that does bring its advantages. In District 4, I come from one of the wealthier homes so I never go hungry unlike some people. District 4 is relatively lucky compared to some of the other districts. We have a victor at least once every five years so for the years that we win the games we get food parcels all year round, but there is still areas of poverty.

My mum is a doctor for a lot of those people. She treats those in District 4 that have waterborne diseases from drinking unclean water. They drink it out of desperation and so cannot afford to pay her much so she earns a lot less than my dad even though he's not a peacekeeper anymore. He works part time at a water sanitation plant tat the moment. He doesn't need to because he used to be a peacekeeper, but he needs something to fill his spare time and it brings in extra money, not that we really need that.

I take his advice though, and after I finish with my chores I head out into the garden with a handful of knives from the kitchens. I can't practise with proper weapons at home because we're not allowed them in our homes, but I can practise with throwing knives and all my other weapon skills are pretty good from 4 years of training at the academy.

At first I hated it, but dad made me keep going and after a while I started to really enjoy it. I'm quite young for a volunteer, but I was picked by the academy. My mum hated me training for the games, but dad thought that it was important. Mum didn't want me to enter the competition, but I eventually decided that I would this year and I showed my skills with a spear as that's my best weapon. I never expected to be chosen, but I was.

I have the opportunity to not only bring my district glory, but the chance to take my family to the Capitol. I'm aiming to get three or four kills. One each for my parents and brother and if I can one for my sister-in-law, Coral. I'm not going to try and get a kill if it's too dangerous though. Getting my family to the Capitol isn't worth the risk, they could still live here and have a good life without me.

"Nice shot." I almost jump out of my skin a few hours later as the knife that left my hand whistles through the air and sticks in the tree I am aiming at with a thud. I spin around and see Shark, my best mate, standing there grinning at me. It must be time to go to the reaping. Although my dad is pretty strict about me going out to see friends, on reaping day he never minds giving Shark a lift to the main square because it's quite a trek from where we live and Shark's family is a lot worse off than us and so don't have a car.

"Thanks. Are we going now?" I ask him, turning back to get the knife out of the tree. As I am pulling it out he replies.

"Yeah, he asked me to tell you to get into a clean shirt and be ready to go in five minutes." He tells me. I nod, turning back to go inside.

"I volunteer as tribute! I volunteer!" I hear as Kara Highfield is quickly replaced by a volunteer.

"It seems we have a volunteer! Join me up here on stage. What's your name darling?" The escort asks as she makes her way up onto the stage.

"Kaitlin Gem," She says as she faces us.

"Kaitlin Gem, the female tribute from District 4!" The escort announces and everyone cheers. I wait nervously as she walks over to the male reaping bowl. This is my big moment. "Jared Felton." She calls out and everyone starts looking around for him.

"I volunteer." I shout, starting to make my way forwards.

"Our second volunteer, I can just tell these games are rearing up to be the best yet." The escort says excitedly. I'm pretty sure she uses the same line every year. "And what's your name sweetheart?" She asks me.

"Port Tidello." I reply.

"I am so proud of you son." My dad grins, coming in, my mum close behind him. "You're going to be great."

"Thank you." I reply as my mum pulls me close in for a hug. She rests her chin on my shoulder and begins to cry slightly so there's soon a damp patch on my shoulder.

"You didn't have to do this." She whispers, pulling away.

"I wanted to." I tell her. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have considered volunteering if it hadn't been for my dad, but I do want to do this. I want to bring pride and honour to my district. Shark comes in when my parents are gone.

"Hey," He smiles. "Figured you could use a token." He says, opening his fist to reveal a shark tooth with a hole drilled through it on a string. "Unless you've got one already?" He asks, but I shake my head. I hadn't even considered taking a district token. I had completely forgotten that I could take one. I take it from him and turn it over in my fingers a couple of times.

"Is it the one you got when you were 6?" I ask him. He nods. The day before Shark's sixth birthday his dad found a shark tooth on the beach and gave it to him for his birthday instead of the traditional meal that Shark usually gets. They can't afford much else other than a nice meal, but Shark loved the tooth. "Thank you." I say, slipping it on so the tooth rests against my chest.


	10. Chapter 10: Lena Grey - D5F

**_Thank you for all your reviews, they mean so much to us._**

 _ **This chapter is of Lena Grey's reaping, submitted by Smiley.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

 **Reaping day**

Fear curdles in my stomach from the moment I awake this morning. Before I even open my eyes, I remember what day it is. Only one day a year inflicts fear into us children of the districts like this feeling. Reaping day. My chances of being reaped are quite big for someone in District 5. They aren't as big as they are for some people, the poorest of the poor in District 5. The ones who go to school with their gaunt bodies and sunken eyes. The ones that wear rags for clothes that stick to their chest and you can count the ribs of.

There's not many like that though. District 5 is lucky like that I guess. We aren't told a lot about the other districts, but on the round-up of all the reapings, it looks like a lot of people from a lot of other districts are worse off than us. Particularly in District 11 and 12.

I am pretty unlucky in 5. Things didn't use to be this bad, but since my mom died, things have been difficult. I don't remember mom that well, I was only four when she died. I know it was hard for my dad though. He had to try to carry on so that we could survive. He ended up losing his job. He did manage to get another job and we scrape by on that, but it's tiring work for Dad. I hardly see him these days because he works such long hours. As soon as I was 11 I went to the justice building and signed up for two lots of tesserae. Things have been slightly better since then, but it's still difficult.

"Morning dad," I say, walking out of my room into the kitchen. Dad is sitting at the table, blearily rubbing his eyes. He always seems to be tired, though normally he has to get up a lot earlier. It's reaping day though, so all work's suspended so he didn't have to get up early this morning. I think that's the only benefit of reaping day.

"Hi, Lena." He smiles, standing up and walking to the counter. "What do you want for breakfast, bread, and butter or bread and butter?" I smile slightly at his little joke. Moments like this is when I wish that my dad didn't have to work such long hours the most. He does it for me though. I should be grateful. I am grateful, I just wish we had an easier life.

"Hmm, that's a hard decision." I grin, playing along with him. I pause, mock thinking. "Ohh, this is the hardest choice of my life, but I think I'm going to have to go with..." I pause again as he starts cutting a slice of bread. "Bread and butter."

"Wise choice." He laughs, beginning to butter it for me. "Nervous?" He asks, handing it to me on one of the rough chipped plates that we have. I take it to the table and bite into it, chewing hard as it's slightly stale as it is a couple of days old. I shrug.

"Same as usual," I reply. It's not true though, each year I get slightly more anxious as the odds of my name being drawn increases. My dad feels awful about me taking tesserae. He and my mom only had me because they agreed that between them that they could just about to manage to scrape by without tesserae if they both worked long hours. That's why I never had any siblings, even before mom died, they knew they wouldn't be able to afford more of us without taking tesserae when. "I'll probably go round Beatrice's house and we'll go to the reaping together."

"Okay, I found something a couple of days ago that I thought you might like to wear." He tells me. "I put it out in the bathroom for when you get changed." I nod. Most people's idea of a bathroom isn't ours. Ours is a small room with a metal tin and a tap. That's it. Half the time the hot water, which at the best of time is lukewarm, is cold.

Once I've swallowed the last bite of bread, I get up and put my plate on the side. I wonder what exactly it is that dad found of mom's. I thought that he had thrown all her things out soon after she died. It was just too painful for him. I guess he couldn't bear to get rid of all traces of her. As I open the door of the bathroom I see the dress that is waiting for me. It was one that my mom didn't wear often. She never really had the occasion to look pretty.

It's not that fancy even, not compared to the ones in the Capitol. It's a plain grey one that when I slip on, goes down to just below my knees. It's designed to be for someone slightly shorter, but it pretty much fits me. I got my short height from my mom. I quickly comb my fingers through my untidy hair to try and tame it slightly. I need to look at least presentable for the reaping. Everyone looks their best for the reaping. If you're reaped, you want the Capitol to like you so that they'll sponsor you and that won't happen if you're wearing your normal clothes.

Although my odds are still pretty small because there are hundreds of other names in the reaping bowl, I still always try to look nicer than on other days. Just in case. Besides, if one thing would comfort me if my name was picked today, it would be that I was wearing something of my mom's. In some small way, she would be going with me. That thought, above anything else, would comfort me.

"Now, the time has come to pick the two lucky tributes who will be given the honor of representing District 5 in the 125th hunger games." I feel Beatrice's sweaty hand clutch at mine as we stand at the reaping anxiously sometime later. I dig my nails into her palm slightly out of worry. What if it's me? What if it's Beatrice? I wish they'd just hurry up and draw the name. I watch as our escort wobbles in her ridiculous heels and wig to the side of the stage with the reaping bowl full of girls names. "And the female tribute is..." There's a long drawn out pause as she plucks out a piece of paper, unfolds it and looks at it. "Lena Grey." My hand falls out of Beatrice's in shock. No. It can't be. I may have taken tesserae, but my odds weren't that high.

I feel my hand being taken by Beatrice once more. I stand still in shock for a few seconds before realizing that everyone has started to turn and stare towards me. "I'm so sorry." Beatrice whispers and I pull my hand away and walk up to the front of the crowd before me parts instantly to let me through. My heart is pounding and I feel clammy. All I feel is shock and fear. I'm going into the arena. I'm probably going to die.

I barely notice climbing up onto the stage and listening as the escort asks for volunteers. There aren't of course. Who would volunteer for me? I'm nobody. I am still in shock as the male tribute is called. I am led off the stage and into the justice building where I will say my goodbyes. I hear the door lock behind me, but in a matter of minutes it is unlocked again and dad comes in.

"What's going to happen, dad?" I ask as the tears start to fall down my face.

"Hey, hey." He says to me soothingly, pulling me into his chest and rubbing my back. "It's going to be okay."

"I'm going to die." I cry, now unable to control the tears dripping down my face.

"No, you're not." He tells me, pushing him away from my chest and looking me in the eye. He pushes my chin up and looks me in the eye. His features are blurred from the tears. "These games are different. There isn't going to be only one victor. You're smart. Just run at the start, ignore the supplies. They only want to draw you in. You're a survivor, you can win this." I wipe the tears from my eyes and nod. I have to try. For dad, if I die then he is alone. He has no one left here. I can't do that to him after seeing him work such long, tiring hours just to earn enough money to feed him. I have to win.

"Then we can go and live a life of luxury in the Capitol. Okay," I take a deep breath. "I'll win this for you dad." But neither of us mention that for him to come with me to the Capitol, I will have to kill someone in the arena.


	11. Chapter 11: Damian Andel - D5M

**_Thank you for all your reviews, they mean so much to us._**

 _ **This chapter is of Damian Andel's reaping, submitted by Pixelfun20.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male, aged 17)**

 **Reaping day**

"As your mentor, I won't be able to visit you during the visiting hour, but I have something for you to take as your district token which I can give to you on the train." Reed tells me as he gets up to leave.

"What is it?" I ask him eagerly.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He smiles. "I'll see you soon though."

"Yeah," I reply as he heads towards the front door. "And Reed?" He waits, but doesn't turn to face me. "Thanks, for everything." Reed is like a father to me.  
I don't really feel nervous as I walk through the streets. After all, I have trained for this for my entire life. My only concern is that other strong career tributes will take this quell, like I have, as an opportunity to achieve greatness. I already declared 2 weeks ago that this game was the one I would volunteer for.  
These games probably will give me a greater chance of success because more than one person can win. The problem with this is that in order to attract admirers and glory, I have to make an impression. Now, I may be a great fighter, but I am horrible at speaking to other people. I can't talk to a crowd or even make small talk. Basically, my interview is going to go horribly. But! I can't think of the negative today! I need to be fully prepared for victory.

If I don't win, my younger brother, Aaron, will have to go into the games. This whole endeavor is just part of my parent's scheme. My sister, Rosalie, will marry into a rich Capitol family in one week, my job is to win the games to build a good reputation around our family, and Aaron is backup in case any part of the plan doesn't work.

We were all assigned these rolls at birth and have been trained to fulfil them. Sometimes I wonder if Aaron feels excluded or unwanted because he's the "backup plan". I know I would hate to feel like a last resort. Thankfully, my parents are as calculating as I am and I have no doubt the plan will be executed perfectly. If it is, Aaron can choose what he wants to do in life, as long as my parents approve it and it doesn't damage our reputation.

I push through the crowds and make my way to the front of the line. The monitor scans my wrist and passes me through. I stand with my age category and wait for the representative to announce the reaping. I spot Reed sitting up on stage in the space reserved for mentors and past victors. He makes eye contact with me and nods slowly in encouragement a1s the representative begins the ceremony.

"The female tribute representing district 5 in the 5th quarter quell is….. Lena Gray!" I watch a girl who I assume is Lena detach herself from the crowd and walk up to the stage. She appears to be shaking, but those might just be my own nerves which seemed to have finally kicked in. "Moving along! The male tribute from district 5 is…" she shuffles around the papers in the glass bowl, "Brian Hethser!" I hear a woman shriek and a man shout something unintelligible that sounded like a curse. I assume they are Brian's parents. How thankful they will be when their son is relived of his death sentence.

I take a deep breath and announce loudly, "I volunteer as tribute!"

An audible gasp from the crowd reaches my ears. No one has volunteered in the last 15 years. In fact, I'm not sure if Reed volunteered. I march up towards the stage and try to subtly wipe my sweaty hands on my pants. As I said, I'm not good at being in front of a large group of people.

"OK Damian, we are all counting on you now," my father says the minute he comes into my visiting room, "you will win and give us the reputation we need to gain ranking in the Capitol."

Sometimes I wish I had a family that cared about me as more than a source of wealth and power. My parents are completely power-driven and dedicated to becoming gentry in the Capitol. If I can't win, Aaron will have to win and I can't put that much pressure on him. I have to win. My father's initial message is basically all I hear for the entirety of their visiting time. Towards the very end, my parents and sister all leave and Aaron is left alone with me.

"I hope you know that even if you don't win, I will still think you are one of the best people I know," he comforts, "I will still love you and though it will be hard, I think I could rise to fill your place."

"I do want you to win though, and return home safely." He reassured. This conversation is probably the longest I have had with him in several months, seeing as he rarely speaks.

"Thank you," I responded, hugging him, "But I plan to win!"


	12. Chapter 12: District 6 reaping

_**We've decided to put each district's reaping together in one chapter from now on so that we can move on with the story quicker. The focus will be the exact same, but it'll just be like having two chapters in one if that makes sense. Thank you for all your reviews.**_

 _ **This chapter is of Cabe Bellscape's reaping, submitted by Hungergamesfan and Delilah Hester, submitted by Team Shadow.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Cabe Bellscape's POV (District 6 male, aged 18)**

 **Reaping day**

"Wake up." I hear Vix yell in my face whilst shaking me hard.

"Huh?" I mumble drowsily.

"You told me to wake you up if you weren't up by midday." She tells me. "Now come on, we were just about to eat before the reaping." The reaping. That explains why I asked her to wake me at midday instead of setting an alarm for the crack of dawn to get to work. In the moment of tiredness between sleep and being awake I had forgotten all about it.

I'm not too worried about the reaping. It's my last year after all and I have only taken out tesserae for one person. Taking tesserae certainly helps. I need to buy less food and for my name to only be in one extra time it's worth it. I didn't used to take tesserae at all, but I've really suffered financially since leaving home. My family would have been happy for me to stay, but I like to be independent and not reliant on other people. I was homeless for a couple of months, but I was determined to make it on my own and prove to myself that I could and managed to get a job. It's not an amazing one but I'm always on the look out for a better job. About 6 months after that I met Vix. She works with me and we ended up renting a room together to make things easier financially for both of us.

My girlfriend, Electra, moved in with us. I insisted because she was being abused at home and Vix doesn't really mind because rent split between 3 people is less per person than split between 2. They have ended up being quite friendly which surprised me slightly because they have quite different personalities. Electra's not very trusting because of the stuff that happened in her past whereas Vix is quite loud and feisty.

I groan slightly, but manage to get out of bed and stumble across the room to the small roughly carved wooden table. Vix made it herself from a tree that fell down near where we live. It was cheaper than buying an actual table, though it is slightly slanted and wobbly so we have to be careful not to fill cups or bowls too full or they'll spill everywhere. Electra puts a bowl of mushy grain in front of me before giving me a quick kiss. I smile at her.

I'm not really sure when I first noticed Electra. She was never in my class or on the same lunch as me at school because she's a couple of years younger than me but I vaguely recognised her in the corridors as the girl whose parents owns the small shop round the corner from my house . When I was homeless if she saw me when she was out, she would sometimes give me a little bit of food or some spare change. I bumped into her after I got a job and moved in with Vix and we just ended up chatting and I guess it just moved on from there. I love her though. Every time I see her, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have her. She's so kind and caring towards me.

"Hey Electra." I smile at her as she sits beside me.

"Morning." She says. She sounds pretty anxious about the reaping. She's also takes tesserae for herself. I did tell her that I'd take two lots of tesserae, one for her and one for me, but she refused. She said that if I was reaped, she'd never get over the guilt if I died.

I start shovelling the grainy mush into my mouth. It doesn't improve the taste eating it cold so I may as well eat it while it's still warm. "I'll wash up." I volunteer, collecting everyone's bowls when we're finished. When I saw wash up, I mean take the bowls and cups to the tap outside and rinse them over before resting them back on the table to dry before the next meal.

"I'm going now." Vix tells us when I get back inside. "I don't want to end up really squashed up like normal. I nod, not bothering to remind her that it doesn't matter how early she goes because she's gonna have to squish up when more people arrive because they've got to get everyone in.

"I'm just getting changed and then do you want to go?" I ask Electra and she nods.

"I need to put something else on as well." She tells me as I pick up the smartest shirt I own and yank off the old tattered one that I use to sleep in. I am just about to pull the shirt over my heard when I feel Electra's cold fingers wrap around my arms.

"You're so strong." She whispers. I turn around and smile at her.

"That's because I have someone I need to protect." I smile and we lean in for a kiss. After a few minutes of this we force ourselves to stop. If we hadn't stopped then we would've ended up sleeping together and both of us have agreed that it's too dangerous because contraception is so expensive. We lean in for one last kiss before I pull away. "We should go." She nods.

"I haven't changed yet though, give me a minute." I pull on my shirt, which now lays crumpled on my bed and quickly change into a pair of clean trousers. In the time it takes to do this, Electra has put on a pale blue skirt and white blouse.

"Ready?" She asks me. I nod before taking her hand as we walk to the square to sign in for the reaping. The queues to get in are already massive, but I spot Orner, my best friend, standing about halfway from the front.

"Hey." I say to him. He looks round.

"Oh hi Cabe." He replies. "Bet you're glad it's your last reaping." I nod.

"Yeah, you've only got one more after this now." I remind him.

"That's true." He says as we shuffle forwards in the queue slightly. I notice that he doesn't even say hi to Electra. Orner is pretty antisocial and is grumpy all the time so he doesn't really have many friends. I'm one of the few people he let in, but he doesn't really like Electra so whenever she's with me when I'm talking to him he just ignores her. It can get really awkward sometimes.

"Delilah Hester." The escort calls out once everyone's signed in and they've gone through the procedure of showing us the same video and reading out District 6's list of victors and everything else that they have to do. A small wave of relief runs through me. Electra is safe for another year. Then I feel slightly guilty. This Delilah person probably has family and friends who care about her. A skinny girl, who comes out of the 16 year old section but looks about 14, starts walking up to the stage after a small pause. She looks in shock, denial almost. "Now for the male tribute..." Here she walks over to the male reaping bowl. Please not Orner or I. Please not. "Cabe Bellscape."

Did I hear that right? I must've heard it wrong, but fear runs through me. No one else is going up. It must be me. I hear a sob from the girl section and as I start walking up, I look over and see that it's Electra. I want to rush over and comfort her. Lie and tell her it will be okay, but I can't and it's not.

My dad, mum and sister are the first people to visit me. I say mum and sister, they're technically my step-mum and half-sister but I am closer to them than my actual mum. My biological mum left a couple of months after I was born, but my dad remarried when I was 3. When my mum left me, he was an alcoholic and verbally abusive, he doesn't deny it, but he managed to turn his life around for me. His new wife, Mimo, was the mother figure in my childhood and she and my dad had another child, Osie, together. Osie and I get on pretty well, although since I left home, I've seen her a lot less.

My biological mum did start seeing me again when I was 4. She came round to see me every once in a while. I get on a lot better with Mimo though. She did all the things a mother should do. I'm kind of glad that my mum does come and see me sometimes. People look down on her for leaving me with dad, but she could've turned out to be a lot worse. At least she tries to be a part of my life.

"I'm so sorry Cabe." My dad says immediately. "Why did I ever let you take tesserae. I should've given you money for food. You don't deserve this."

"It's fine." I try to reassure him. "You tried to persuade me, I wanted to be independent. I wouldn't have taken the money." A tear runs down his face. I take a deep breath before trying to calm him down. "I can do this. I'm fast, I'll just run in quick and grab some gear and then just keep running. I'll be gone before anyone else is and then I'll stay ahead of them so I don't get caught. I'll just get to the finish line as soon as possible." He nods, pulling himself together to give me some advice.

"That's a good strategy, make sure that you stick to it and don't dither or anything, no matter what environment you're put in, you mustn't hesitate or pause, even for a second." He tells me. "No matter how scared you are, just grab supplies and get out before the careers have got their hands on those supplies." I nod. I know it's dangerous going to the cornucopia, but I'll need some basic supplies if I am to survive. Mum turns to me next.

"I know I'm not you're real mum-" But I interrupt.

"You are." Biologically, she's not, but to me she is. She always will be. Her eyes brim with tears.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me." She tells me. "I love you like you were my son."

"I know, and I love you more than Alli." I tell her and she wraps her arms around me. "Come home to me."

"I will." I promise, knowing it's a promise that I probably won't be able to keep. I turn to Osie next, wiping the tears that are streaming down her face.

"Hey, it'll be alright." I tell her. "Everything's gonna be just fine. I'm just gonna be away for a while."

"What if you don't come back?" She asks me. I consider lying to her, telling her that I won't die, but I realise that she deserves better than that. We're closer than that. The truth may hurt her now, but 11 is old enough to understand what is going on.

"I might not, you're right." I say.

"Cabe." My dad cuts in.

"No, Osie, listen to me." I say, ignoring dad. "I might die, but I want you to know that I will try my absolute hardest to make it home. No matter what you see on that screen, you have to know that I am doing everything I can to win. If I don't make it though, if I do die, don't mourn me. Remember me yes, but remember the good times. I had a good life with you, focus on that. Can you do that for me?" I ask, but before she can reply the peacekeepers come in and start to drag them out. As the doors slam I hear Osie scream.

"I will always remember you." I take a deep breath to stop myself from crying. There will be cameras waiting at the station for me. I cannot appear to look weak by having bloodshot eyes from crying. Electra comes in next. She isn't crying but her eyes are red and puffy and when she comes closer I see that there are remnants of silvery trickles of tears left on her cheeks.

"Hey." I say, leaning in for a kiss.

"I love you." She tells me.

"I know. I love you too."

"Have you got a token yet?" She asks me and I shake my head. I had completely forgotten that I could take one item from home into the arena with me. "Do you remember A Step From Falling?" She asks me. It's a book we once read, a romance. I normally prefer reading fantasy, but I tried this one with Electra. "When he had to leave she gave him a lock of her hair to remember her by." She pulls a pair of scissors out of her pocket. "Take a lock of my hair, to remember the good times when you're stuck in that arena." I take the scissors out of her shaky hands. I would have never thought of such a meaningful token.

"Are you sure?" I ask her and she nods.

"Take it." I take a small section of hair from behind her ear and quickly cut it. She smiles and takes it from me. Within 30 seconds she has deftly woven it into a small braid. "Wrist." She says and I hold out my left hand and she ties it round it. When she finishes I take her hand and kiss it.

"I'll come back, for you." Neither of us mention that we won't be able to live together. We don't think that President Hail will keep to her word and let one family member move to the Capitol for every kill. I'm probably not going to kill even if Hail does keep his word so I will probably never see Electra again. I hope that she'll be okay.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

Yawning, I open my eyes and realise that I must have fallen asleep whilst reading. I feel around for my glasses, which I am blind as a bat without. I eventually find them and put them on blearily. The book that I was reading last night has fallen onto the floor, where I must have shoved it in my sleep. I roll my eyes in annoyance as I see that the pages have moved past where I was up to, meaning that I will have to find my place again. That's when I remember what today is. Reaping day.

Butterflies start to fill my stomach. I try to be logical and tell myself that it won't be me, but it could be. My odds are small, especially as there are so many people in District 6. I'm not sure quite how big the other districts are because travel isn't allowed between the districts except for things that the Capitol allow. Basically meaning that each district doesn't really know what the other districts are like because the Capitol can only show us what they want us to see. I hear a knock on my bedroom door and sit up as my mom comes in holding a tray of food.

"Hi sweetheart." She smiles at me, walking to my bed slowly, trying to balance everything on the tray.

"Thanks." I say taking it from her. It's a tradition in my house that on reaping day mom and dad make me breakfast in bed and in the evening I cook them a meal. They cook for me in the morning so that if I am reaped that day then I have good memories of them and I cook in the evening so that we are grateful that I am still there to cook.

I smell the air appreciatively as the scent of scrambled egg floats up towards me. It's my absolute favourite so I dig in before it starts to get cold and I am soon sitting with an empty plate in front of me.

"I'll wash up for you." I offer, seeing my dad begin to wash the pan my egg was cooked in as I take my plate back to the kitchen.

"It's fine." He says to me smiling, but behind the smile I see that his eyes are red from crying. He always does this the night before the reaping. Cries. He's so scared that I will be reaped. He would do anything to stop my name from being in the reaping bowl, but he can do nothing against the might of the Capitol.

No one can. I have heard rumours though, that the mayor's children aren't in the reaping bowl. That's the mayor's reward for being the Capitol's pawn in District 6. I've got no idea if it's true or not though. It's probably just a rumour spread around by the Capitol to get us in the districts to be distrustful of each other. If we don't trust each other, we won't rebel. We wouldn't be able to trust the others to rebel with us. It's smart. I have to admit, but it's not good for us in the districts.

"Next." I quickly step forwards and put my finger out so that the peacekeeper can take my blood a few hours later. A small prick of pain runs through my finger. "Delilah Hester?" They ask me and I nod, eager for this to be over as soon as possible. "Go ahead." I scuttle away to the roped off sections for all the girls between 12 and 18 and am soon directed to a pen fairly close to the stage. The only people in front of me are 17 and 18 year old girls. I stand nervously as the area around me begins to fill with other anxious girls, all about my age. Many of them are standing with friends, holding each others hands and whispering good luck.

When everyone has finally arrived, our escort starts babbling on about the dark days. The same drivel that they feed us every year. I tune out until I hear the familiar. "As usual ladies first." The atmosphere around me is now so tense that you could cut it with a knife and everyone is silent so all I can hear is the tip-tapping of the escort's high heels as she walks over to one of the reaping bowls. She smiles at us, showing us her pearly white teeth as she pulls a name out. I bite my lip nervously as she unfolds it. Odds are it shouldn't be me. "Delilah Hester."

What? My name's not in there that many times. I must have misheard. It can't be me. But everyone around me is shuffling out of the way, making a path to the stage for me. It must be me then, at school I'm a loner, I don't have friends. Most people don't even know my name, so the fact that they're parting for me, is just a painful reminder that all people will remember me for is that I died in the hunger games.

No. I can't afford to think like that. I slowly make my up to the stage, my heart pounding in fear. This year the rules have changed, so my chances are higher. I might be able to win. I'd have to live alone in the Capitol though. I don't think I could ever kill someone, which means that I won't be allowed to take my family with me. Whatever happens in that arena, it's unlikely that I will ever see my parents again after I have said my goodbyes.

"It's gonna be okay." Mom says, rushing in through the door, dad right behind her.

"I'm scared." I whisper. I'm just a sad little nerd who spends her days reading. Physically, I will be one of the weakest tributes in the arena. I'm not strong, if another tribute attacked me, I would have no chance of surviving.

"I know," Dad tells me as they both pull me into a hug. "But you can do this. The other tributes may be stronger, but you're smarter. You're fast. If you go to the cornucopia, grab something and run. Keep moving and make sure you hide at night. Hopefully with your speed you should make it to the Capitol before the 3 weeks are up."

"What about you two though?" I ask. If I do win, I'll have had to kill to be able to take them with me to the Capitol.

"We'll be fine. Don't go looking for a fight so we can come to the Capitol as well." Mom tells me. "We're not worth it. We'd rather stay here and never see you again than have you dead."

"I'll miss you." I say as a tear runs down my face.

"I know, we will too." Dad tells me, wiping the tear away gently. "But always remember that we love you, no matter what." I nod.

"Chin up." Mom says, using her finger to prop it up higher. "Now go show them that no one messes with Delilah Hester."


	13. Chapter 13: District 7 reaping

**_This chapter is of Vanisa Tildene's reaping, submitted by Jailynne and ,_** Phytophthora "Phyto" Neilson's ** _submitted by No-role-models._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

I wake up at 2:15 in the morning when mom finally gets home from work. She tries to tiptoe down the hallway, but despite her efforts to be quiet, I can see both my twin brothers are awake too. None of us are upset she woke us, she hardly gets any sleep to begin with. We try to make it easy for her to care for us and Dad helps a lot.  
The positive aspect of her late-night work hours is that I don't have to worry about setting an alarm for 3:00 in the morning. By that time, she is sleeping, and my brothers don't care that I sneak out. They know it's for a good cause, so they pretend not to see me as I crawl out the window next to my bed.  
I run down the block and duck into a side passage. There, I see Ava already leaning against the wall, a bag of spray paint in hand. I jog up to her and she tosses me a can. I shake it softly and draw a streak along the ground to make sure it's working. After a few minutes, Keller comes sprinting around the other end of the passage. He is out of breath and late.  
"Where were you?" Ava berates him, "we could've been halfway across the plaza by now!".  
"Sorry," Keller apologizes defensively, "Neva started crying at 2:05 and it took a while for everything to settle down at home." Neva is Keller's infant sister and, as he puts it, the bane of his nighttime endeavors. Before she was born, he could sneak out easily, but now she seems intent on making sure he never leaves the house.  
"Let's get a move on!" I whisper, gesturing toward the peacekeepers house, our next target. Ava, Keller, and I have been vandalizing peacekeepers homes for about a year and a half now. We spray paint to protest the inequality between the districts. It's our way of resisting the Capitol.  
"Onward!" Ava whisper-yells. We run down the back pathways towards the peacekeeper's home, slowing down when we reach his street. Most of the peacekeepers live in the fancier part of District 7, so it takes us a little bit to arrive there. Obviously, we don't live in the fancy sector of the city. I gesture for Ava and Keller to follow me. I sneak around his house and reach the front fence. He has one of the brand new wooden fences made from birch wood. I remember watching those fences being built in our woodworking class. The wood is very distinctive and while it isn't the fanciest, it is nicer than most fences. It's also white, which makes for a good spray painting background.  
Ava has the best artistic talent, so she paints, Keller gives her the colors she needs and helps her with the words, and I keep a lookout. We switch around the roles every week, but this arrangement seems to work. Finally, Ava adds the last spray and proclaims her work finished. I turn around to asses her work. The image is of a rusting hourglass with the words Time is up for district inequality! written in green paint. I give her a small high five and paint the symbol of our little protest group, a fist with AVK, our initials, in the center, under the hourglass. At first, we were hesitant to sign our initials, but we decided there was a very small chance anyone could pin us down from just the first letters of our names. We jogged back to the passageway and returned the spray paint to Ava. She placed the bag into its hiding spot in the grate along the side of the passage. Finally, we dispersed and returned to our homes. I got home at 5:45, just in time to slip into my bed and pretend I'd never left.

When I got to the reaping later that day, I hugged both my parents. My mom, optimistic as usual, reminded me that I had a smaller chance of being reaped than a lot of people my age, given that I had taken no tessarre. Dad gave me a big hug and I inhaled his comforting smell of earth and woods, trying to block out my fear. I had too much to live for, even here in District 7. Everything would be ruined if I had to go into the Hunger Games.  
I squeezed Jax and Dillon close and wished them luck. It was their first Games and I didn't want to imagine a world with them as tributes.

I pushed through the crowd of 16-year-old girls until I found Ava. She laced her hand in mine and we stood, awaiting the official start of the reaping. Neither of us spoke, except for the necessary greetings and to maneuver around the other girls. I squeezed her hand when the reaping began and she squeezed back.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen! The 125 annual Hunger Games District 7 reaping!" the announcer's voice echoed over the plaza. "First, the females. From District 7…" she unfolded the paper, "Vanisa Tildene!".  
I didn't move. I could feel Ava clutching my hand for dear life, her tears running down my arm. The peacekeepers came to collect me, but Ava wouldn't let go. I don't recall shoving her, but I must have, because the peacekeepers were able to tug me away and up onto the stage.

I don't remember the visiting hour very well, but I do remember the tears. Everyone who came into that room left crying. I know my parents, brothers, Ava, and Keller all visited me. With each person, I grew more and more confused. Why are they crying? I thought, I'm not actually going into the Hunger Games, am I? At some point, someone handed me a wooden oak whistle with the initials of my family carved on it. Whoever it was pressed it into my hand and closed my fingers around it.  
I can't be going into the Hunger Games. It's just a joke. I will not go into the Hunger Games. I can't.

 **Phytophthora "Phyto" Neilson's POV (District 7 male, aged 18)**

 **Reaping day**

Narrowing my eyes in concentration, I pull my arm back and when I'm sure I've aimed the axe right I release it and watch it fly across the air and stick into the tree.

"Pretty impressive." Sycamore tells me. "Try doing it slightly further away." Jogging up to the tree, I wipe sweat off my brow before yanking the axe out. At least this is the last day I'll have to do this, train to fight. I originally asked Sycamore to teach me to fight so I could stand my ground against my dad, but now he's helping me out in case I get reaped. It could happen, I have to take tesserae, because even with having a job as a lumberjack, I cannot afford enough food for myself.

I am lucky to have a job as a lumberjack though. I managed to get it when I was 15 and moved out of my parent's house soon after. I was just glad to escape. I was an accident and born into a poor family, so I was just a burden on them. My dad named me Phytophthora after the tree disease. Probably thought that he was being really witty. My friends call me Phyto for short though. My dad's a bit of a jerk if you hadn't figured already. Well, a lot of a jerk. I say a lot, I mean 100% jerk. He wasted the little money that we did have on alcohol and got drunk and beat me. You can't blame me for leaving really. Even three years after I have left, I still have the scars criss crossed over my back.

My chances of being reaped back then were a lot higher as well, despite being younger. My dad made me take tesserae out for my whole family, even when April and Rico, my older brother and sister, were still eligible for the reaping. It was always me who had to take out tesserae. I only take it for myself now. I won't have tesserae to rely on after today though.

I'm 18 so today is my final reaping. I won't ever have to stand in front of that stage in fear of being reaped ever again. Things will be more difficult without the tesserae, but I'll scrape by. If I have to, I can find some berries to eat in the woods where I work to eat. Or maybe, if there's no one about I could try and hunt. I'd just have my axe, but I'm sure it can't be too difficult to bring down a squirrel or two. I've had plenty of practise with throwing axes anyhow. I'd have to hide the meat because it's technically illegal to hunt, but I'd get away with it as long as I was careful not to run into any peacekeepers on the way back.

"I'd call it a day." Sycamore says about half an hour later. I look up in the sky and see that the sun has risen a lot higher than when I first started. It looks like it's almost midday. "Clean yourself up a bit and get something to eat." He says and I nod in reply.

"Thanks, for teaching me all this." I tell him. I am grateful. He taught me how to fight to stand up to my father before I could leave. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for Sycamore. He's patient as well. Most 32 year olds would get frustrated about having a teenager asking them to teach them stuff, but he doesn't.

I yank the axe out of the tree for the final time before heading back to my house. I say house, most people probably wouldn't really call it a house. A shack maybe. It was cheap though and it's all that I can afford. Most importantly it means that I'm not with my dad. I run the tap outside and stick my head under it, letting the cold water run through my sweaty hair for a moment. Then I yank off my shirt and let the water run through it before twisting the rusty tap so the water stops trickling out. As I go inside, I wipe myself down with the shirt so that I am no longer sweaty and dirty.

I cut myself a couple of slices of bread and cheese that I scoff down. Despite my meal, my stomach is still rumbling, but unless I want to go without dinner, I have nothing else to eat. Realising it's not long until the reaping, I put on a clean shirt and head out to where I have arranged to meat Oak, one of my best friends.

"Now for the male." I feel Oak tense up besides me later at the reaping. His family is pretty poor and he has three younger sisters. All of them are of reaping age, but he refuses to let any of them take tesserae so his name's in quite a few times. I hope neither of us are picked. "Phytop-phytophetera." I know immediately from these mispronunciations of names that it is me who has been picked. I doubt anyone else in District 7 has a father sick enough to call him Phytophthora. Oak shoots me a sympathetic look as he works it out as well. "Er- Phytophthora Neilson." The escort finally manages.

I stand still in shock to begin with. I know I took tesserae, but I still thought that my chances were slim. They were slim. As I go up, I start laughing at the unjustness of it all. Of course I would get reaped. I should've known that I wouldn't manage to escape the games. My life has just been one massive joke.

"Phytophthora, this is a great opportunity." I am glaring at the wall in anger as I hear the familiar voice behind me. The voice that I frequently heard angry and drunk during my child. The voice whose owner beat me so hard that I fainted sometimes. Why did he bother coming? I turn and see dad in the doorway, my mum just behind him. "You just need to get four kills in and we can all move to the Capitol and live a life of luxury." I burst out laughing at this. He really is sick.

"What makes you think that I want you to come to the Capitol with me when I win?" I say when because I cannot bear to say if. Saying if makes it sound like I've given up already. I haven't. I don't care that the universe has given me this dreadful life and has sent me one curse after another. I'm a survivor. I will come out of that arena alive.

"Come on Phyto, that's just selfish." My mum tries to approach me but I flinch back.

"Get out." I can't believe they had the audacity to come and tell me to kill so that they could live a life of luxury. I'm going to ask if I don't have to have my family come with me if I win. I'll tell them that I'll put on a good show for the interview or something. To my surprise they do leave and Sycamore comes in a few minutes later.

"Hey," I say, happy that he came to say goodbye. He feels more like part of my family than my real family.

"Don't give up." He tells me. "You can fight, you're good at it. Impress the game makers, keep moving." I nod at his advice.

"Thanks, for everything." I say. We stand awkwardly for a few moments.

"Phyto, when you win and live in the Capitol,"

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Remember you're old pal won't you?" He asks. I nod.

"How could I ever forget you?" I ask and he smiles. I can do this.


	14. Chapter 14: District 8 reaping

**_This chapter is of Andre Stich's reaping, submitted by yyvonnee and , Vicuna Adden_** 's ** _submitted by Cjborange_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Andre Stitch's POV (District 8 male, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

The whirr of Mom's sewing machine is the first thing I hear as I open my eyes. That noise is so present in my life that I almost don't realize today is different. Today, instead of making dresses for the shop, mom is finishing my sister's outfit for the reaping. I designed it a week ago. It's a deep burgundy red cotton dress with a cross stitched pockets. Here in District 8, no one gets nice clothes except on reaping day, and even those clothes are nothing like the ones we send to the capitol.

Everyone has a competition after the reaping over who has the nicest clothes. Reaping day is the only time we can show off our outfits. Granted, our clothes are probably usually nicer than most of the districts. We hardly enjoy them though because we see the amazing fashion designs coming from the Capitol. I wish I could be a fashion designer for the Capitol, but at least I will get to be a designer here in District 8.

I stretch and jump out of bed quickly, reaching for the suit my mom made for me last year. I have to wear the same one because my sister's dress already has nicer material than we could afford. The suit still generally fits me, though it's riding up my ankle a little bit. I fasten the buttons, admiring my mom's handiwork with needlepoint. Needlepoint is one of the only types of stitching and sewing that I cannot do. It irritates me to no end that it's my weakness in the shop, but I honestly hate it.

I enter the kitchen/living area and stop to watch my mom. The dress is almost finished and looks exactly as I imagined it would. I lean over to kiss my mom, careful to not disrupt the rhythm of her foot working the sewing machine. She greets me saying, "Sarah made pancakes this morning, they're still on the stove. You can heat one up for breakfast."

Sarah cooking is a rare occurrence as she usually has to leave early to make it to her store by opening time. She has been late already four times this month because she forgot to set the alarm. She is very forgetful, but I have now started to check each night to make sure it's on. Unlike Sarah, I have an impeccable memory. Usually I use it to keep track of both my schedule and Sarah's so that I can give her reminders about her tasks. This constant reminder and her reliance on my memory doesn't bother me though. Eventually, it will all pay off when she gets a connection for me to design for a fancy dress maker she used to work for. For now, however, I design for her and my designs sell, so I'm happy.

Eating my pancakes, I think about how lucky my family is. Unlike most people in District 8, we don't have to work in the textile factories. We were lucky enough to be in the group selected to design and make clothes out of the textiles from the factories. The work is easier this way, and the pay is usually better. I hope this familial luck carries on to the reaping today. I hardly have any chance of being reaped though because, unlike the children of factory workers, I never have to take tesserae. This decreases my chances of being picked substantially and makes it statistically improbable, though not impossible, that I would ever be reaped. This statistical and logical knowledge calms my nerves and I am able to finish the pancakes without any more nerves.

With my worries quenched, I sling my bag of pencils, a sketchbook, and scissors, my favorite invention of all time, over my shoulder. Waving goodbye to my family I head to the park to sit and sketch. I haven't been given an official permit to design yet (you have to be 18), but Sarah lets me design for her anyway. I've been working on a pattern for a skirt with lots of lace, but I can't decide between hidden pockets in the corset or the fashionably loose cuffs. As I contemplate this fashion choice, my friend Carper Penson runs up, looking happy. His expression is not uncommon; he is usually energetic and enthusiastic, but today it seems muted. Probably he is worried about the reaping and his chances of getting selected. He had to take a lot of tesserae because his family works in the factory. It also doesn't help that he is 17, which means he has one more chance than everyone else we know. Overall, his chances are much more statistically probable than mine or any of his other friends. I don't share any of this with him though, knowing he has probably already gone over it hundreds of times in his head. He sits down to help me with my sketches and together we decide that pockets are more important than cuffs.

I straighten my suit for the fifth time in 3 minutes and try to calm my nerves. The worried feeling has returned, and all my analysis of probability has ceased to calm me. As the Capitol representative mounts the stage, I notice that her suit has a small flaw in the left arm seam, about ¾ of the way up. The suit was obviously made by a machine because human would accidentally sew an entire line of stiches inside out without noticing. I am distracted from this error by the start of the reaping.

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to the 125 hunger games, district 8 reaping! As usual, ladies first!" she exclaims, holding the microphone in her left hand while her right mixes the papers in the glass bowl. "Vicuna Addens!" A girl who looks slightly older than me walks shakily to the front. I feel another wave of nerves wash over me and I squeeze my eyes shut as she moves on to the male reaping. "For the males...Andre Stitch!"

I feel my chest clench, and for a brief moment hope that Carper or someone else will volunteer for me, but they don't. Eyes still shut, I begin to walk forward, knowing that people will part for me. Finally, I open them and the reality of it all hits me in a flash.

I'm going into the arena. My death is imminent. I'm never going to get to become a designer. I will be dead in 4 weeks.

Never, not even for a second, do I believe I could win. I might be able to survive the bloodbath, but unless I can fight with scissors and fabric, my chances of winning are minimal. Statistically speaking, I have no chance of winning.

When Mom, Dad, and Sarah enter the room, I have resigned myself to my fate. Sarah is the only one capable of speaking, Mom and Dad are both beside themselves with grief. Sarah tries to cheer me up, saying "Even statistically improbable things can happen" and "At least you'll get to see the designes in the Capitol", but nothing helps. She finally says "All that matters is that you make it out. Even if you make it out and I never see you again because you didn't kill anyone, I will be happy." She slips my sketchbook into my hand and I feel the comfort and security of the familiar wash over me. It appears the luck of my family has finally run out

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female, aged 17)**

 **Reaping day**

I wake up early, and as usual it is to the sound of Lacy's sweet voice. I'm surprised that even today she can get up as normal and pretend that today is the same as every other day. Today is the day of her first reaping. When it was my first reaping, I was petrified. I get up slowly, wincing at the cold floorboards beneath my warm feet, and walk into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, she has a piece of paper and is drawing with a lump of charcoal at the kitchen table. She is so intently sketching and singing that she doesn't hear me walk in.

She dreams of becoming a singer one day. I don't think it will happen though. She's good enough to be a singer, that's not the problem. It's because we're from District 8. The only singers people have ever heard of are from the Capitol. People in the districts don't get the same opportunities as those from the Capitol. She refuses to accept that it won't happen though. When she's not singing she's drawing or painting. Her walls are covered in her artwork, even the pictures from years ago when she was 5 and only drew wonky stick people.

"Hi Lacy." I say, grabbing the loaf of bread off the side and cut a slice of it for my breakfast. She nearly jumps out of her skin as she sees me.

"Oh, Vicuna, hey." She says, before going back to her picture. I peer over her shoulder to look at it. She's drawing a picture of the sunrise out of the window she's sitting opposite. She hasn't been at it very long but it already looks amazing. "Vicuna." She whines as a few crumbs off the bread fall onto her picture.

"Sorry." I say, taking a step back as she picks the paper up and shakes the crumbs off her picture. "Do you want to walk to the square with me later?" I ask. There's a slight pause. As if she had been trying to forget about the reaping.

"Yes." She says. Good. I don't want her to walk on her own to her first reaping. I had to on my first reaping and with all the peacekeepers patrolling the streets in case of any riots about the games, I was so scared that I was going to be stopped.

Once when Penny, my best friend, and I were walking home from school together and we were stopped by a peacekeeper and asked where we were going. Looking back on it, it was probably because we were late home from school and it was winter so it was already growing dark, but at the time I was petrified. He asked us where we were going but neither of us could get our words out. I was taken in for interrogation for several hours before they finally released me again, but ever since I've tried to avoid peacekeepers as much as possible. There's bound to be more around than usual, even for reaping day, today though because it is a quell. The quell actually isn't too bad this year. Not compared to some of the ones that there have been in the past. At least there may be more than one victor this year.

"Good luck." Strapson says to us just before we leave for the reaping. He's only 10 so he's safe for another couple of years. In some ways I think he'd do better in the games than if Lacy or I were reaped because he has this weird obsession with bugs. He collects them and flattens them between clear sheets of plastic to preserve them. Lacy and I both think that it's gross but he would at least be able to find food in the arena. I guess from his rambling about bugs I could probably identify quite a few edible bugs so I could probably survive too. It's not very likely that my name's going to be picked though. My parents can just about afford for us not to take tesserae so my name's only in the required amount of times.

"Thanks." Lacy says, as I take her hand and we start to walk to the square. The streets are pretty crowded, with everyone starting to make their way to the reaping so Lacy sticks close to me. She tries to have a positive outlook on everything, but there's nothing positive about the reaping. It takes two people to their almost certain death.

"As usual, ladies first." The escort says with her stupid capitol accent into the microphone about half an hour later once we are signed in. I turn my head slightly to try and find Lacy to give her a small smile, but I cannot see her head amongst the rest of the 12 year old girls. We arrived before Penny did and she spotted me, so I am standing beside her. She is fiddling with the ends of her hair nervously staring up at the District 8 escort as she plucks a piece of paper out. "Vicuna Addens." She reads out.

Penny drops the piece of hair she's fiddling with and her eyes widen in shock as she turns to me. My eyes burn as tears threaten to fall from my cheeks. I am going into the arena. I blink the tears back as I manage to stumble out of my section and start walking up to the stage. When I am standing on the stage, I have hold my hands behind my back to hide the shaking. I cannot appear to look weak. I must look composed. If for no other reason than Lacy and Strapson are watching me. When they come to say goodbye, I have to convince them that I will come home. False hope is better than no hope.

"Vicuna!" Strapson whispers rushing in. Lacy is behind him. Tears are running down his cheeks. I bend down and wipe them away gently with my thumb.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, you don't need to cry." I tell him, ready to say the read preapared speech I made while I was on stage and the male tribute was reaped. "I'm gonna be fine. You know the odds are better for me this year, remember?" He nods and Lacy hugs me.

"I don't want you to go." She tells me.

"I know," I reply. "But I have to. You two have got to be really grown up for mum and dad okay. I know you're gonna miss me, but I'll be back as soon as I can and then we'll be off to live in the Capitol." Strapson smiles slightly at this thought. "And Lacy, you'll be able to become a singer like you always wanted, so practise hard when you're away." She nods.

"I'll do my best." She tells me. I spend the next few minutes making them believe that I'm going to be fine. The odds aren't in my favour, but it's not completely impossible that I'm going to win. My parents come in next.

"I'm so proud of the way you spoke to your siblings." Mum smiles at me. "They didn't seem as upset as before they came in."

"I've just gotta win this thing now." I say.

"You can, Vicuna." Dad tells me. "You're smart and Strapson's hobby will finally come in handy. Try to remember as many edible bugs as possible. You can live off those. Try and practise with some weapons in training as well. You need to defend yourself if you're attacked." I nod.

"If you're going to try and kill so that we can move to the Capitol too, don't worry about us." Mum tells me. How could I not worry about them? I need to get 4 kills for all of them to come with me. I haven't worked out my strategy yet, but I know I'll have to kill. "If you can get Strapson and Lacy, but we can stay here. Just the gift of knowing that the three of you are alive and well in the Capitol is enough for us." I nod. That makes sense. I'll still try and go for 4 kills though. I can't imagine life without my parents.

Penny is the last person to come and visit me. She takes so long to come that I am starting to think that she won't bother coming to say goodbye. But she rushes in, sweating and red in the face holding something. "Sorry, I was so long." She puffs. "Lacy said you hadn't got a token yet and insisted on giving you this." She holds out the item in her hand. It's a drawing that she did a few weeks ago of our family. She did it with colouring pencils and it's one of my favourites. I take it off her and look down at it, moved by the gesture. Lacy normally gets really mad if I take a picture out of her room.

"Tell her I say thanks." I say to Penny who nods and then spends the last few minutes of visiting hour giving me as much advice as possible before she is pulled out by a peacekeeper.


	15. Chapter 15: District 9 reaping

**_Sorry this is a day late I (Lonely Geek) only got back from a camp yesterday and I was exhausted and then things were messed up with which parent's house I was going to, but I've updated as soon as I could. Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys._**

 ** _This chapter is of Clover Wellas's reaping, submitted by Hungergamesfan and , Marcus Thresher's_** ** _submitted by Goldie031_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Clover Wellas' POV (District 9 female, aged 12)**

 **Reaping day**

"Can you all stop yelling?" My dad mutters as me and my siblings begin our usual morning squabble over breakfast. "I feel like I have something drilling into my head." Chip laughs slightly at this.

"Whose fault was that for getting drunk last night?" He mutters, but he doesn't really mean it. It's true our dad has a drinking problem, but to be honest, we don't have enough money for it to become that much of an issue. Today looks like an ordinary day in the Wellas household. The older ones, Maize, Chip and I are sitting and chatting, trying to distract ourselves from the thought of the reaping that will happen later today. Wrenn is scoffing her breakfast and Marigol is sitting next to mum, feeling the baby kicking.

The baby's not due for a while yet, but mum's petrified that she's going to die during labour. Marigol is always to be seen by her side. She quite shy and quiet so she stays by mum's side. She loves feeling the baby kick in mum's stomach.

It may look like a normal day but it's not. Today is reaping day. We try to keep the routine as normal as possible on reaping day though. So it doesn't upset the younger ones. Some people think it must be annoying having a large family because it means that you don't get as much attention, but I like it. Things never get boring and it means that no one notices if I slink off to be by myself.

I prefer being by myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but it does sometimes gets a bit noisy. We often have people round our house because we're quite popular in the area of District 9f that we live in so it's nice to just slip off when things are really noisy.

A loud knocking noise makes everyone jump slightly. "Oh, that'll be Keek." I say quickly. We agreed to hang out before the reaping together. "Is it okay, if I leave my plate for someone else to wash up?" I ask. We have a house rule that everyone washes their own plates at breakfast and lunch. At dinner there's a rota for washing the pans and dishes up.

"I'll do it sweetheart, don't worry. Just this once though." Mum tells me. I nod.

"Thanks." I say, jumping up to open the door for Keek. He grins as I open it.

"I was beginning to think that you were ignoring me." He says as I step outside.

"Sorry, we were just eating breakfast." I explain.

"You nervous?" He asks me and I nod in reply. Of course I'm nervous. Today's my first reaping. Keek is a few months younger than me so he's still 11 and won't have his first reaping until next year. I had to take two lots of tesserae out. Chip and Maize did as well. Last year they both had to take three out so that there would be enough for the whole family. We could probably just about manage without taking any tesserae if dad didn't drink so much. Mum always nags at him not to drink. I don't think it's actually the drinking that bothers her. It's the fact that it wastes money. Mum worries a lot to be honest. "I'd bet anything that you're not going to be picked." He tells me, before taking a shiny coin out of his pocket. "I'll bet my lucky coin that you won't get picked." He passes it to me. I take it out and tuck it into my pocket.

"Thanks." I smile.

"Next." I step forwards a few hours later at the reaping. The person puts her hand out and I pass her my hand. A needle jabs me, leaving a small prick of blood on my finger. She presses my finger tip onto a piece of paper, scans it and lets me through to where Maize is waiting for me.

"Come on." She says, taking my hand. "I'll take you to where you need to stand, but I can't stay with you because I'm a different age. We'll find each other afterwards though." I nod. I know that mum will have asked her to look after me because it's my first reaping. She normally puts up a fuss whenever she is asked to do something by mum or dad, but something like this she would've understood why they wanted her to do it.

I stand in my section as it starts to fill up and more and more people. I begin to feel slightly claustrophobic from the sheer number of people packed into this tiny space beside me, but then the escort walks up onto the stage. I don't listen to most of next bit partly because I feel nervous and partly because I know what is being said. I've watched the reaping enough times to know what happens before two people are selected to go to their deaths.

"As usual ladies first." The escort beams at us, practically skipping across the stage to the first glass bowls filled with slips. Three of them have my name written on them. The odds are in my favour. She plucks one out, still grinning at our gloomy faces. "Clover Wellas." The world freezes around me. No. My name was only in three times. I slowly make my way to the front, my eyes meeting Maize's as I walk past her. I already know that she won't volunteer for me. Blood only goes so far when it comes to the hunger games.

My eyes bore into the escort's as she gives me a huge grin when I make it onto the stage. "Wonderful, such an honour for one so young." She says, edging to the other bowl. Hatred flows through me. An honour? To be murdered. I'd like to see her in the arena. Stupid capitolite.

"Hey, honey, don't cry." Mum says, as tears fall down my cheeks as she comes in to say goodbye. "It's gonna be alright. All you gotta do is make it across the arena. Don't bother with killing, we can live in District 9 without you." Dad nods at this.

"All that matters is your safety. You're gonna be one of the youngest in the arena, so they may think you're an easy target. You're smart though. They won't expect that. Use that to your advantage. Learn some survival skills and just make your way across the arena as swiftly as possible." I nod.

"Marigol and Wrenn aren't going to come and say goodbye, we think it'll upset them too much." Mum tells me. "Do you have a message?"

"Tell them I love them. No matter what. Remind them every day." I reply. They soon have to go and Chip and Maize enter.

"You're young and innocent, use that to your advantage." Chip tells me.

"Win over the hearts of the sponsors. If you do that, you don't need to risk your life getting gear from the cornucopia at the start. You can just grab something small and run off. Show your resourcefulness to them and they'll give you something to make your life easier." Maize adds.

"Thanks." I say, leaning in to hug them both. We are still standing in this three way hug with me crying into Chip's shirt a few minutes later when the peacekeepers come to take them out. Keek is the final person to visit me. Tears are flowing down his face, but he rushes straight in and hugs me.

"Guess your lucky coin doesn't work after all." I say, taking it out of my pocket and handing it back. "You lost the bet." He shakes his head.

"Keep it, it might start working again in the arena."

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male, aged 18)**

I roll over and feel my feet touch the cold concrete. I remember not to slip on my shoes as I quietly shift my weight from the bed to the balls of my feet. I tiptoe along the edge of the room, watching carefully for any movement of the other orphans.

I live in an orphanage, and I have for all of my conscious existence. This is probably my 17th orphanage, so I have some experience with sneaking out of them. This one however, probably has the most security of all the past ones.

The room had many open beds because, like me, many people sneak out to hang with their gangs. I glance toward Chaff's bed and notice that he isn't there.

Probably he's at the threshing circle with his gang, the DOA's. Ususally my gang, the KR12's, get along with them fairly well, but occasionally we have a run in.  
Chaff and I talk a bit, but the subject of gangs is never discussed. Most people in the orphanage are in one, though some people prefer to run solo. The orphanage has a total of about 75 kids, but I rarely see any of them, let alone have a discussion. Needless to say, I don't have any people skills.

After tomorrow; however, none of this will matter. After tomorrow, I can ditch this whole place and move to a better life. After tomorrow, I will be in the arena.

I make it out of the orphanage compound and see the wide expanse of District 9 in front of me. The orphanage is surrounded by grain fields, which we work on during the day. Technically, forcing the orphans to work for no pay is illegal, but the peacekeepers rarely follow the law if it would benefit them to break it.

I jog down to the clearing in the middle of the grain fields and position myself on the edge. I lay with my back on the ground and review my plan for the next day. I hate thinking about the future because usually my future is so bleak, but thinking about making it to the Capitol is reassuring. Laying in this position is my favorite thing in this life, but it's not enough to keep me in this hell-hole. I hate it here so much.

The reaping starts in the late afternoon, when the sun shines the hardest on the grain fields. They scheduled it for the time when everyone is usually taking a break from work because it gets too unbearably hot.

I arrive with the rest of the orphans. We walk in a line, staring at the ground, trying to ignore the stares and whispers as we pass. The reaping is one of the only times we orphans are allowed off the compound, so people use it as a time to judge our every move. At least, in past years I have averted my eyes and hunched over. Today, I stand tall and return the scornful looks thrown my way. They can go die because I will go into the arena and come out alive. After today, nothing in District 10 will matter anymore.

The man speaking says a few words and then walks over to the female bowl. She pulls out a paper and reads off the name "Clover Wellas!"A girl walks forward quietly and softly climbs the steps. She doesn't seem like a threat by any standard. I prepare myself to volunteer by nudging the people around me to create space for me to pass. They look at me in a confused manner, but move to make way.

"Hadrey Birch," the man calls. I don't stop to look for who Hadrey might be. I just call out "I volunteer for the male spot!"

At first the man on stage seems confused, but when I push through the crowd and begin to march up the steps, he recovers his senses.

"It appears we have a volunteer!" he calls out, over the murmuring of the assembled group. I am the first volunteer in at least 45 years. Volunteering in District 10 is usually the equivilant of a death sentence. Occasionally gang leaders try to convince their members to go into the arena, but no one has been bold enough to attempt it.

The man still seems a bit flustered, but he concludes the reaping quickly and the peacekeepers hustle everyone away.  
As expected, no one comes to my visiting hour. It's not as though I have any people to send me off with good wishes. I scoff at the idea, shaking my head to get rid of the silly notion.

Sitting there, I play with the green bandana wrapped around my foot. Usually I keep it on my wrist, but for the reaping I switched it to my foot. The green bandana with a spray paint designed 12 in the center is the symbol of the KR12's. We all wear the bandana as a mark of our unity.

I remember I can take one item from District 9. I honestly want to leave as much behind as possible. If I could, I would wipe my memory of the past few years entirely. I wish I could just forget everything and live a better life in the Capitol.

After thinking it over for a while, I decide I will take the green bandana as a mark of my roots and background, as much as I wish to forget them. Also, when I make it to the Capitol, the other members of the KR12 will be able to claim they knew me, even though I didn't really engage in much of the gang activity.

Now that I am going to the arena, I can forget everything horrible that has ever happened to me.


	16. Chapter 16: District 10 reaping

**_This chapter is of Celica Branston's reaping, submitted by Eludros and , Alphie Rivera's_** ** _submitted by The88Constelations._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Celica 'Cel' Branston's POV (District 10 female, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

The sun shines brightly through my window, waking me up. Squinting slightly because of the bright rays, I sit up, wondering why I have been allowed to sleep this late. The sun looks quite high in the sky. I normally have to get up early because of school. Then I remember why. Today's reaping day. I think I'd rather take school right now. Reaping day is the worst day of the year, for everyone in the districts, except maybe those who are alcoholics, or drug addicts. The ones on the fringe of society who gave up caring about people a long time ago, and I think even then they probably think that the games are unfair.

I don't live in as much fear of the reaping as some people. I am from one of the wealthier families in District 10, so I am one of the few teenagers that doesn't have ribs sticking out so much that you could count them. I'm likely to stay in the wealthier part of District 10 as well because I want to become a veterinarian which is one of the best paid jobs in 10. One of my friend's mum is a veterinarian so I already know a bit about it which means I'm more likely than most to become one. Being from one of the wealthier families also means that neither me or any of my siblings have had to take tesserae.

I have two other siblings. Alex, who is 2 years younger than me at 14, and Kyle, who is out of reaping age at 20. Kyle spends most of his time these days training to be an administrative worker in a factory, like my dad currently does. It requires a lot of training so he doesn't have a lot of spare time.

"Hi Alex," I say to my younger brother when I walk into the kitchen. He's the only person up yet and he's just finished his breakfast and is washing his bowl up.

"Hey Cel," He replies, standing up to wash his bowl up. "Are you gonna go to the reaping with your friends?" He asks me.

"Yeah, we're meeting at midday and then all walking up together." I tell him.

"Why is it taking so long?" Bethany, one of my three best friends, complains later that day when we're standing waiting for the reaping to start. I turn my head to look to see how long the queue for signing in was but the square is so crowded that I can't see it.

"It always does," Zoe reminds her. "They do have to sign everyone in."

"Welcome, District 10, to the reaping for the 125th hunger games," The escort smiles brightly about 10 minutes later. The next half hour or so is just the usual stuff, some video they show us every year, the treaty, a list of victors from District 10, which is depressingly short considering there have been 124 hunger games. "Now, time for the reaping. As usual, we'll begin with the ladies." The escort strides over to the female reaping bowl. She moves surprisingly gracefully for someone wearing such high heels. "Celica Branston."

The world around me stops. I never thought it would happen. My friends all shoot me sympathetic glances and squeeze my hand as I manage to get over the shock and begin to walk up to the stage. Now that the initial shock of being reaped has worn off, I feel fear creeping into me. I have to conceal it though. I cannot seem weak by looking petrified. I catch a glimpse of myself on a camera and am glad to see that I only look a bit nervous.

"Now for the male tribute." The escort says once I am standing up on the stage. "Alphie Rivera." A boy that looks slightly younger than me stamps up onto the stage, looking furious. I've never seen anyone so angry about being reaped. "Shake hands then." The escort says when he is standing next to me. I reach out my hand and give him a small smile. He could be a potential ally and I want to make a good impression. He doesn't take it though, instead he glares at the escort and picks up the microphone before chucking it off the stage.

There is a loud gasp as it lands with a bang. Almost immediately he is yanked off the stage and pulled somewhere. Soon after I feel a strong hand on my shoulder, leading me to a room where I will spend my last hour in District 10 before going to the Capitol before the games begin. My parents are the first to come in.

"Cel, you're smart, you can win this," My mum tells me. "Learn things on survival and use that in the arena." I nod, leaning in to hug my mum, tears running down my face. I can afford to cry now there are not cameras everywhere.

"Cel, I'm so sorry," My dad says. "You can win this though."

"I can't kill," I tell them. This is the last time I will get to see them if I somehow manage to survive. If I don't kill, I won't be able to get them to the Capitol, but I'm not a good fighter. I doubt I'd survive an encounter with another tribute.

"Don't try then," Mum tells me. "The risk isn't worth it."

 **Alphie Rivera's POV (District 10 male, aged 15)**

 **Reaping day**

"About time, we agreed to meet up half an hour ago, how come you're so late?" Marcus moans at me as I jog down the street to him, Richard, Beckett and Oliver. Then he notices the the blood on my shirtsleeve. "Hey, what happened?" I quickly wipe it away quickly and think up a lie. In reality it was because my dad made me help him kill one of our cows that is too old to produce milk so he wanted to sell the meat.

It's a boring story though and I don't want people to look at me like I'm boring. Everyone just sees me as normal and average. At home, I have so many siblings that I'm always overlooked and at school I'm not amazing at lessons. I'm not awful, but I'm just average. To make friends I have to lie about things that have happened to me. It makes me sound more interesting and people like me. It works though. Before I started lying, I had no friends, now I have a group of people who would call me their friends which stops me from being a loner though. None of them have figured out that I lie about pretty much everything to them. It's the only way that I can make friends though.

"When I was walking here, I saw a kid getting mugged so I ran over to help, but the kid got cut in the scuffle and I was trying to wipe the blood away to see how bad the wound was." I say, thinking up the story on the spot. "He was fine though, I was late because I was walking him home to make sure he was alright."

"Really?" Beckett asks. "I don't know if I would have been able to do that if it had been me in your situation." I shrug in reply.

"I just did what had to be done."

"We should probably head to the square now." Oliver says and we all nod and start walking. Butterflies start to flutter in my stomach. Because I have such a large family, I am forced to take tesserae. I have 7 siblings, but all of them are of reaping age which means that I don't have to take any tesserae for them, but I am forced to take tesserae for myself and my mum. My older brother, John, is the only other person that has to take two out, one for him and one for dad. I don't really think that it's fair we have to take tesserae for our parents, but they tell us that we have to or we'll all go hungry.

"Yeah, I don't want to be late like last year and have to be really cramped." I reply. It was a really hot day as well so we were sweating buckets by the end of the time packed together like sardines in the baking sun.

"We'll be cramped whenever we arrive," Marcus says. "But we'll probably be slightly less cramped going now."

"Now, time for the reaping. As usual, we'll begin with the ladies." The escort says in her stupid capitol accent. "Celica Branston." A girl who looks slightly older than me, walks up onto the stage. She looks pretty nervous. I would be too, if I were her. I won't be her though, despite taking tesserae, my odds are still low. "Now for the male tribute." She picks a slip out of the bowl. I wish she'd hurry up, I really need the toilet. This is taking forever. "Alphie Rivera." She calls out. No! This isn't fair. I shouldn't be going into the arena. I can't go into the arena. I can't. I won't.

Angrily, I storm up to the stage, taking care to stamp going up the steps to show my frustration. "Shake hands then." Celica holds her hand out for me to take but I shake my head in outrage. They have just given me a death sentence and now they want me to do formalities such as hand shaking? I don't think so. Glaring at the escort, I pick up the microphone stand on the stage, with the microphone still on it, and fling it as far as I can. There is a satisfying bang as it crashes and there is quite a large gasp from the crowds in front of me.

Strong arms yank me off the stage. An annoyed looking peacekeeper glares at me. "You can't say goodbye to your family." He tells me, locking the door of the room that he has shoved me in. I guess this is my punishment. It's not much of a punishment. There's no one I want to say goodbye. Now I have time to think, I've realised being reaped may have been a blessing in disguise. If I can just make it across the arena, I can live in the Capitol for the rest of my life. I won't even need to risk my life getting kills because there's no one I care about.


	17. Chapter 17: District 11 reaping

**_This chapter is of Maisie Bismarck's reaping, submitted by Smiley and , Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's_** ** _submitted by Yyvonnee._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female, aged 13)**

 **Reaping day**

I wake up, sweating from the heat. I wish it were still spring, when everything is growing, but the temperature isn't devastating. As it is, I will have to suffer through an unbearably hot summer. That is, if everything goes well today. There is a possibility I will be reaped. I had to take some tesserae, but I'm only 13, so I shouldn't have a high chance. Unfortunately, this logical thinking does little to calm my anxiety.

I have had an anxiety disorder since I was about 6. My teachers believe it was probably caused by my father's death and the suffering my family experienced afterwards. My anxiety disorder is characterized by the assumption that the worst possible outcome will occur. I frequently spiral into an abyss of worry when I contemplate any risk I must take.

The reaping usually sparks an immediate panic attack, so I am surprised I didn't feel one setting in the moment I woke up. I'm sure that by the end of the morning I will be a 'mess of stress' as Tavish, my older brother, says. I attempt to go to sleep, but anxiety of the day to come keeps me awake. I eventually resign myself to not getting enough rest and walk over to the small table near my bed.

On the table is my favorite thing on the planet earth: my journal of poems. Though it doesn't look like much, the journal contains my emotional support and the outcome of 7 years of work. **  
**I have loved poems since the first time I heard one. My father used to read them to me, and by the time I could write I had memorized all the poems in his little book. At the age of 6, I began to write poems. Father would read them and show me how to make them better. When he died a few months later, I decided to write poems in his memory.

The first few poems in my little journal are filled with sadness and grief as I mourned my father's death. Then the years of need set in and I started to write about far off places of plenty. Eventually I realized this wishful thinking wouldn't get me anywhere, so I transitioned to writing about people and small pieces of magic in the everyday world. The poems kept me out of depression and hovering slightly above the daily anxiety attacks I used to have.

I tiptoe across the room, careful to jump over the loose floorboards and make my way to a chair situated under a window. Well, I call it a window, but it's not one of the nice windows with glass on them, it's just a whole in the wall. During the winter we board it up, but in the hot months, like right now, we leave it open in hopes of a breeze.

I sit by the window and look out on the view of District 11. The fields of crops Tavish works on every day, the squat houses and buildings surrounding ours, the birds calling out to one another, and finally, the sunrise, peaking over the mountains in the distance. I sit at the window and begin to write a poem.

Hours later, I stand at the reaping, the book of poems weighing down the right side of my skirt. Last year, I sewed a pocket in my skirt, just large enough to hold the little book. Now, I am wearing that skirt with the book as a material comfort against my thigh. It presses into my leg and provides a distraction from the terror consuming me from the inside.

Eventually, the reapings begin, and as I predicted earlier, I begin to perseverate over the possibility of being reaped. I start to shake, but I clench my fists and force myself to remain still. The representative prepares to speak and the crowd goes silent.

"The female tribute from district 11 is…. Maisie Bismarck!" I freeze, not comprehending the representative's words. Then it all hits me in a tsunami of panic. No! I can't leave mom and Tavish! I feel as though the world was closing in on me and I begin to sob. I'm too young! I have a future and a family! They can't do this! But, in the end, they can.

I force myself to take a step forward and begin reciting one of the first poems Father ever read to me. It is by a woman who lived before the Dark Days. Father said it's called Hope is the Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson. Reciting her poem always calms me down, but it doesn't seem to be working now.

 ** _Hope is the thing with feathers_** **  
**I push through the crowd, trying to wipe the tears off my face, but they keep falling, leaving dark splotches on my skirt. **  
** ** _That perches in the soul_** **  
**I keep my head down and clutch my journal under my skirt. I try not to let a feeling of hopelessness consume me. **  
** ** _And sings the tune without the words_** **  
**I make it to the stage and begin to walk up the steps. My tears have stopped, leaving behind a feeling of panic and utter distress. **  
** ** _And never stops-at all_**

I stand at the stage, small compared to the struggles I will face in the next few weeks, and slowly raise my head.

My visiting hour is mostly a lot of tears. I don't comprehend very much of what people tell me. I'm too busy running through poems in my head. I recite as many poems as I can think of; most of them from before the Dark Days.

I decided as I stood on the stage that I would take my book of poetry with me to the games. Poetry is the only thing keeping me relatively sane at this point. I will need every form of comfort possible in the next few weeks, if I even live that long. After everyone leave, I recite my favorite poem ever in a whisper. It was the first poem I really could connect with. According to Father, it is called The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams.

 ** _so much depends upon  
a red wheel barrow_** **  
** ** _glazed with rain water  
beside the white chickens._** **  
**I have always been a white chicken. Now however, the water has spilled over and I will pay the consequences.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male, aged 18)  
Reaping day**

"Dada!" I feel a small, soft hand shove against my cheek and I blearily open my eyes to see Bloom in front of me, hitting me, smiling. Her happy expression makes me smile slightly, despite being woken up at the crack of dawn.

"Hey," I smile, sitting up and giving her a hug. I love Bloom more than anyone else in the world. It's weird to think that Addy and I were going to give her up. We thought she'd just be a burden, an extra mouth to feed. When she was born, we immediately changed our minds. I couldn't imagine like without Bloom now. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd do anything to protect her. We were devastated when we found out that she had a disorder that impairs her vision. When we found out about the disorder, my mum was amazing and she invited us to live with her so that she could help us with Bloom.

"Is she up already?" Addy murmmers to me, squinting because of the rays of sun already streaming through the window.

"Uh huh," I reply.

"Ugh," Addy groans.

"I'll take care of her, you go back to bed. Get some rest before the reaping." At this she groans again.

"I'd forgotten that was today." I grimace at that. Today is our last reaping. We will never have to live in fear of being reaped for the games again. Or at least she won't. Today is the day that I am going to volunteer. Addy doesn't know that though. I have to do it though. We can't support Bloom. I have to work long, tiring hours pretty much everyday and we still struggle. If I volunteer and manage to get two kills I can take Addy and Bloom to the Capitol and live in a life of luxury. If I can, I might try to get four kills so that I can also take my mum and brother.

"It'll be fine," I tell her. "Rest for another couple of hours and then I'll make you some breakfast."

"I love you Ric," She smiles.

"I love you too." I grin back, slipping out of bed, Bloom in my arms.

"Good luck, I'll be watching." Forrest smiles wistfully at me before Addy and I go into the square for the reaping. Bloom is already with my mum who's looking after her until the reaping is over. Forrest is slightly older than me, so he's 19 already and so has had his last reaping already. Forrest and I have been friends since the first day of school. Now we've left school we work together in the fields.

"Thanks," I say, before Addy and I join the queue to get into the square. We didn't arrive early, so the line to get in is massive, but we have no choice but to join the back.

"Next," Nearly half an hour later we are at the front of the line. I give Addy a small push so she goes first.

She steps forwards. Male and females are separated during the reaping so we can't stand together, but ever since we started dating, back when we were 14, we always find each other in the crowds and smile at each other the whole way through. It's a good distraction, looking at my beautiful girlfriend, instead of focusing on which innocent people will go to their deaths.

As usual I find her face in the crowds, and as the escort goes through all the usual bits, we smile and mouth things to each other. "And the female tribute is... Maisie Bismark." A huge weight is lifted from my shoulders as relief flows through me. Addy is safe. She will never have to go into the arena. There's a slight pause as she walks up to the stage. It's just long enough for my heart rate to go up again. Now it's my turn. My turn to go up onto the stage. "And the male tribute is...Xavier Mader."

"I volunteer." I shout. I watch as Addy's face changes so her mouth forms a perfect 'O'. Even from this distance I can see the tears begin to fall from her face. All I can think about is Bloom. My little baby girl. I can't let her grow up without her dad. I have to survive these games. This is all for her and Addy.

"What the hell was that?"Addy asks. She is the first person to visit me to say goodbye. She hasn't even gone to my mum to get Bloom yet.

"I had to, I have to give Bloom her best chance in life." I tell her, hugging her.

"You could have warned me." She says.

"You would've persuaded me not to. I had to do this, you have to understand." I say. "I'll do whatever I can to get you and Bloom to the Capitol with me." I tell her. She gives me a watery smile.

"Just don't get yourself killed trying. If you only have one kill and you've reached the end, don't risk your life going back to find someone else to kill. Bloom will live in the Capitol with you. I don't mind, as long as you two are safe." She tells me.

"I will do everything I can to get you both there." Then an idea pops into my head. "When my mum comes to visit get her to bring a pen and some paper."

"What for?" She asks me.

"In case I don't make it back," I tell her. She opens her mouth to protest. "No, this is a worst case scenario. I will write 16 letters to Bloom, if I make it back, we'll burn them. If not, every birthday until her 18th, give her one. I want her to know how much I love her, and I want it to come from me."

"Daddy!" Bloom cries.

"Hey, little one," I say, taking her off my mum. She won't understand properly what's going on, but I have to reassure her. "Hey, everything's fine Bloom, daddy's just got to go away for a few weeks. I'll be back soon though."

"No go!" She shouts. I have to blink back tears at this. I'm going to miss her so much. Mum takes her off me and gives me the pen and paper.

"I have to Bloom, I don't want to go anymore than you do." Then I turn to my mum. "Can you get Vulcan to come near the end so I have time to write?" I ask her. She nods.

"Make sure you know your strategy, I assume you want two kills?"

"I don't think I'll manage 4 so you and Vulcan can come as well." I tell her. I wish I could, but I don't want to kill, and I expect there will be 6 dangerous careers in the arena as usual. She nods.

"I understand, just make sure you know your strategy."

"Nearly done?" Vulcan asks me when the hour is almost up, walking over to me. I nod, knowing I don't have much time. I've done all the ones for Bloom, but I want to do one last one for Addy.

"If I don't make it back, will you help Addy?" I ask, taking a fresh piece of paper and ignoring the pain in my wrist that I have from writing so fast.

"Yeah, when I leave school, I'll get a job and give any extra money to Addy." He tells me. "You're gonna make it though. You're smart and determined. Learn some useful things in training. When you're in the arena, know your strategy and stick to it. I want to see you living a life of luxury in the Capitol, okay?" I nod.

"I love you." I say, signing the final rushed note. It's not very long, but Addy knows it anyway. I just want to give her a reminder. Just in case.


	18. Chapter 18: District 12 reaping

**_We have finally reached the end of the reapings. Next chapter will be the tribute parade and then training. We're not going to do all the tributes for the tributes parade, but we've split all the tributes up into three groups so if your tribute doesn't have a POV in the parade, they will have one later on, we just divided them up based on who we thought would be most interesting for each of the chapters if that makes sense. Once again, thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you, and remember each review earns you five sponsor points!_**

 ** _This chapter is of Greyson Rennoll's reaping, submitted by Readermaster and , Zable Keenhorn's_** ** _submitted by Cloudoffeathers._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Greyson Rennoll's POV (District 12 male, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

I wake up and immediately close my eyes again. My brother, Clarc, must have shut the window and pulled the curtains over them last night. I certainly didn't! I always leave the window open because I hate waking up in the dark. According to Clarc, my fear of darkness is a weakness. I think it's a common reaction to a traumatic experience.  
My fear of darkness stems from a traumatic event that occurred when I was 8-years-old. I fell down a well and got trapped. My parents and all their friends looked for me, but it took them a day to figure out where I was. After they managed to free me, I was left with a broken arm and a crippling fear of the dark.

My window shouldn't have been open because I was sure to close it, but Clark must have snuck into my room very late at night. Thankfully, I had already made it back to the house by the time he snuck in. If he had realized I was at a party last night, I would be in so much trouble.  
As all this runs through my head, I splitting headache pierces my scull. I remember allowing Karl to convince me to go to this party. I remember getting drunk and only getting home at 1 in the morning. Finally, I remember the cause for my getting drunk was to forget that today is the reaping.  
I make my way to the window, eyes half shut, and pull the curtains away. Sunlight streams into the room and I breathe a sigh of relief. I get dressed before walking out into the central area of the house. My mom, as usual, is sitting in the chair by the fireplace, but this time she is joined by my dad. On a normal day, he would already be at the mines working.

Zoe, my younger sister is sitting at the table. She looks stressed. I wish I could comfort her, but dad wouldn't like it. He would say that it's not a man's job to be sentimental. His way of thinking is a bit old-school and gender biased. Dad seems to think the only path a true man of District 12 should go on is into the mine. This is problematic because I am deathly afraid of darkness. He constantly tries to convince me that it would be better to face my fear, but I would honestly rather die of starvation or dehydration than go into a dark place.

"Good morning, Son" he greets me, "Ready for a big day?"

"Sure dad." I reply. I wish he were more sympathetic to my feelings.

"Come here, honey," my mom gestures for me to join her and she stands to get me some breakfast. Clark doesn't appear to be awake yet.

As much as I dislike some parts of my life, my family has a strange sense of peace. I really hope neither Zoe nor I get reaped today. If we're reaped, it would be horrible and disrupt the fragile peace we have now.

My finger bleeds slightly when pricked by the needle. I am really not scared by anything other than darkness, but I know Zoe hates the needle. I glance around, but she has already been ushered away to the roped off areas. I stand with my age group and wait for the representative to call the unlucky child. The female is called, and a girl named Zable walks onstage.

"The male tribute is…Greyson Reynnoll!" the representative announces. I curse under my breath and I feel my knees go weak. I begin to shake, and it takes all my will power just to stay upright. One of the other boys in my category pushes me forward and I stumble up to the stage. I shake Zable's hand as the representative finishes the speech.

My family members are the first to make it into the visiting room. Mom squeezes me into an air-crushing hug. Zoe sits next to me, clutching my hand and sobbing. She is in a total state of distress and for the second time today, I wish I could comfort her. Dad sits on a stool and stares at me intently. Clarc seems uncomfortable and looks as though he would rather be anywhere other than here.

We sit for a while, trying to piece ourselves back together and preserve the peace for as long as possible. Mom keeps trying to comfort me by saying things like "at least you'll get to see the capitol" and "you have a chance of living". I know she's trying to be helpful, but all I can feel is pain.

The peacekeepers signal that my time is up and Mom moves away to stand at the door. Clarc gives me a hug and whispers "Sorry" in my ear.

Dad claps me on the back and says, "Good luck".

Zoe refuses to let go of my hand. She squeezes it so hard her knuckles turn white. Eventually, the peacekeepers must pry her away from me. Mom holds her close and they all leave the room. As they go, my last thought is This is probably the last time I will ever see them. I could never return.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female, aged 16)**

 **Reaping day**

"Mom?" I knock on the door and crack it open; careful not to drop the tray of breakfast I'm carrying.

"Zable? Darling?" her quivering voice barely carrying to me, even though I stand only 4 meters away. I walk over to her bedside and set the tray on her lap. She reaches out an arm and brushes my hair to the side. I hand her a cup of water and a slice of bread. I doubt she even realizes its reaping day. That's probably for the best. If I am reaped, I doubt she will survive. At this point, I am the one making enough money to feed our family of two. Without me, she would probably starve or lose the house.

"Mom, I will be out all day. You should get some rest. You don't have to work today." A few years ago, I applied for my mom to be exempt from attending the reapings. The peacekeepers didn't accept the application because according to them, she should just "snap out of her depression".  
Mom has always been depressed, but it got worse when I got to be reaping age. She still has bad memories of the 108th hunger games. Those are the games where my dad died. He was reaped just 2 weeks after my mom became pregnant with me. They were married at that point and would have been a happy family if it weren't for the stupid games. My father was reaped and then torn apart by mutts after 3 days. My mom never got over it, but she managed to provide for the two of us decently well. When I turned 12 however, she got a lot worse. I think she believes I will be reaped too. I doubt it will happen though; I only took out a little bit of tessarre. My friends had to take out more than me because they have bigger families, so I don't think I have any chance of being reaped.  
Deciding my mom is okay for now, I take the tray into the main room and set it on the table. I grab my bag from the floor and tie on my boots. On my way out the door, I grab a piece of bread from the unfinished tray and wolf it down. I remember not to slam the door as I close it and run down the street. Many people are out-and-about doing last minute reaping preparations and running errands. I see Salle, Rhubin, and Hald sitting on the newly constructed stage where the reaping announcer will stand in a few hours.

"Hey Zable! How's it hanging?" Salle calls, waving. He's the most extroverted of our group and knows how to manipulate people. Rhubin is upbeat and very helpful. He cut my hair for me because I didn't have money to get it cut properly. Truthfully, none of us have money for stuff like that. Hald is more rational and pessimistic. All together we make a good team because Rhubin comes up with an idea, I get us into trouble by carrying out his idea, Salle manages to talk us out of trouble, and Hald tells us how it would never have worked and explains why in very precise detail.

"As well as it can, on a day like this" I holler back as I run towards them. They are pretty much my only friends, but they are like family to me. I know they will always be there for me if I need it.

"Very true" Hald responds, "Today is defiantly the worst day of the year"

"You say that every day!" Rhubin objects.

"It's truer today," Hald argues.

"Whatever guys, let's get ready for the reaping" Salle cuts off the growing argument.

Much later in the day, I am lined up for the reaping, standing with all the other District 10, 16-year-old girls. Our reaping is always in the late afternoon because they try to space them out so the people in the capitol can watch all of them. We get pushed to the end because we're one of the last districts.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 125 annual hunger games reaping!" our district representative booms into the microphone. He rambles on for a few minutes about the Dark Days and bringing honor to your family. I stop listening after about 30 seconds and look around the city center. I tell myself there is no chance I could get reaped out of all these people. I won't get reaped. I can't get reaped. Mom would probably kill herself if I was reaped. I can't let that happen. Eventually, I hear the representative begin the reaping.

"The female tribute from District 10 is…. Zable Keenhorn!" her voice echoes around the square and fades to nothing before my brain registers the words. It's me, I've been reaped. I'm shocked, but that quickly gives way to pure anger. How dare they! Doesn't the Capitol know that if I go into the arena my mom will probably die? Then it hits me, of course they know. They just don't care. No one cares for those who they can't relate to, and right now that person is me. They will never understand how it feels to know you will die the same way your father died. To know that your death could cause your own mother fall into a pit of depression. To know that all this could be prevented and only happens because some rich people 10,000 kilometers away think it's fun to watch.

I charge forward, my pure hatred blazing on my face. The crowd parts before me and a peacekeeper tries to restrain me. I shake them off and march towards the stage. I have stomped up the steps and glared out at the audience before I realize that is probably not a good way to get sponsors. I try to calm down and smile at the crowd. I see my mom shrieking and tearing at her hair as the peacekeepers try to restrain her. The male tribute has already been called, but I missed it in my flurry of anger. He shakes my hand and the representative brings us both offstage.

The first person to visit me is my mom. She comes in, a sobbing and crying mess. I don't know how to soothe her, I haven't soothed myself yet. Both of us just sit there. I'm fuming and gripping the fancy couch under me until my knuckles turn white. Mom is crying and shredding a piece of fabric.  
Eventually, she just pulls me into her arms and whispers "I don't want to lose you too" over and over again. I feel her arms around me and I realize I will probably never see her again. I can't bear to think about that, so I just try to appreciate the moment.

All too soon, the escort drags her away. She whimpers as he pulls her out of the room. My friends arrive next. They look as though they have been crying, but are now trying to hide it. Even Hald seems a bit gruff and looks as though he is going to cry. They all pull me into a big group hug and hold me for a few seconds.

Salle tries to comfort me by explaining that I know how to adapt to situations and use my surroundings better than other tributes, but deep down we all know this is the last time I will ever see them. Rhubin gives me a smile and squeezes my hand. She begins to tell a story about one of our adventures, hoping to take my mind off my looming demise. I cling on to every one of his words and try to commit them to memory. Each time Salle or Hald interjects I lean forward, trying to capture the sound of their voices too.

After 5 minutes, the peacekeeper comes to retrieve them and I give each of them one last hug. Salle kisses the top of my head and they all leave. I, once again, am left alone to contemplate life. I decide that if the capitol is going to kill me, I will at least go out with a bang. With that, I wipe my tears away and get ready to die.


	19. Chapter 19: Tribute Parade

**_Thank you for all your reviews. Next chapter will be the beginning of training._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 19**

 **Tribute Parade**

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 Female):**

"Don't mess this up." Those are the final words of encouragement I hear from my mentor before I am wheeled out to face a huge crowd of strangers. My carriage is a jeweled, glittering, mass of sparkle. I myself am covered from the neck down in a deep red dress set with small diamond roses. While I don't particularly like my outfit, I am satisfied with my hairstyle.

After finding out that I had experience with styling hair, my stylists allowed me to contribute to its design. The result was that I added extensions to my hair and placed a silver crown of flowers over a braided bun.

I raise my gaze to the hundreds of thousands of Capitol citizens all watching me. I'm lucky to be in district 1 because they see me first. I lift my right hand and begin to wave slightly. I have waited for this moment my whole life. This is my first opportunity to prove I am a fighter and a survivor.  
Finally, I make it to the center circle. The carriage rolls more slowly now and I take the time to blow a few fake kisses at the crowd. They cheer back. I pull to a stop directly in front of where President Hail stands, watching us all, knowing he has demanded our death. I will just have to show him that I won't bend. I will survive whatever horrific challenges he and the game makers have prepared for me.

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 Female):**

I glance down at my outfit and am pleased to find it reassures me. I am dressed as a warrior set in stone. Seeing myself looking so strong reminds me that I came here to win. Win for my family to make up for my costly sickness. Win for myself to prove that I am worthy. Win for everyone because I owe them a happy life.

My hair flies behind me as I stand, stock-still, staring at the audience. My mentor told me to act the part of a fierce warrior with no mercy. I hope that's the attitude the sponsors like. I come up behind the blinding District 1 carriage. President Hail looks down on us as though we are cockroaches. His gaze sweeps over all the carriages. I feel myself straighten unconsciously under his glare.

I try to replicate his stare as I look out over the crowd. I need them to see me as a worthy opponent. Eventually, I will need their support, as much as I hate to admit it. If I want to survive, they have to believe in my ability to win. I survived my horrific sickness and I will survive these games for the same reason. For my family.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 Female):**

I stare at myself in the mirror proffered by the Avox servants. Somehow, miraculously, the stylists have managed to tame my usually-messy blond bob cut. They straightened it and fixed it so that instead of covering my face it frames it. The silver, lightning streaked gown flows behind me and accentuates my lightning bolt earrings. I nod at the Avox and she steps back to allow my chariot to pass.

As I am wheeled out in the chariot, I wish I could look behind me. This is the first time I will be within 20 metres of the other tributes. It's my first time to size them up. The Careers ahead of me all seem muscular, but the district 3 tributes seem to be about as muscled as I am. I don't really know how to assess their skill based on look alone, but I suppose I will find out in the training session. Still, I wish I could look back at the other tributes without seeming weak or afraid.  
My chariot pulls to a halt and the horses shift their weight causing the chariot to shake. I almost lose my balance and clutch at the nearest support. Unfortunately, this means I grab onto Damian. He starts, surprised, and then shakes me off roughly and looks disgusted. I right myself and pretend to not notice his glare. Instead, I wave and smile at the crowd. I must get them on my side or I have even less a chance of survival. I don't think I can survive, but any sponsors help me to make it back to dad.

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 Male):**

I exhale softly and glance back at where Reed stands, watching us prepare for the tribute parade. He sees me watching and gives me an encouraging smile. I return a fake smile. He sees through it and mouths You'll be great back at me. I nod and turn to face forward. Lena stands at my side, looking "shocking" in her lightning bolt dress. She seemed upset earlier today when she realized I already knew Reed. Apparently she sees it as favouritism. I am dressed to match her in a blue suit with small lightning bolts on it.

The chariot, pulled by two beautiful horses that have lightning bolt's on their harnesses. Lightning seems to be a theme this year. As we roll slowly through the stadium area, Lena grabs my arm. I shrug her off quickly and glare at her. She seems unaffected by this and begins to smile at the crowd. I realize that is probably a good idea, so I turn to my side and try to gain attention.  
I have to make a good impression on the sponsors, seeing as I will probably not be good at the interview. Despite Reed's attempts, I have never been able to speak to a crowd in any way. I usually get angry and flustered. Anyway, I have to gain some sponsors from this because as Reed says "Sponsors are the often-overlooked-by-careers way to win". Over time, I resigned myself to the belief that I need sponsors no matter how good my fighting. Hopefully, I can get enough tonight to make up for my horrible interview. If not, I might not win and Aaron would have to enter the games. I can't do that. I have to win.

 **Vicuna Addends' POV (District 8 Female):**

I can't mess this up! This is the one part of the games I might actually be good at. I can't fight and I don't think I could actually kill someone, but looking confident and pretty might be something I can do. I guess I will find out after tonight. I see all the other tributes talking to one another quietly or looking down at their clothes, but I can't bring myself to face the real world.

I shut my eyes and try to block out the fear and dread that has been consuming me for the last 24 hours. I try to imagine a happy scene of me returning to my family after the games, but it is bittersweet because even though they are in my imagination, I know I will never see them in reality again.

The carriage is wheeled out and I blink in the sudden sunlight. Once my eyes adjust, I look at the Capitol fashion. They are even more outrageous than everyone says they are. I always wanted to be a designer, but if I would have to design horrors like these, I don't think I would enjoy it.  
The carriage pulls up in the circle and I zone out as President Hail makes his usual speech about the purpose of the games and how proud he is of all the tributes who will be "representatives of their districts". The speech is entirely for the Capitol citizens; I'm sure none of the tributes are paying any attention to it. We all know the real purpose of the games is revenge and entertainment for bloodthirsty citizens. Our pain is a sadistical fun for them. I only wish it were as fun for those being murdered.

 **Andre Stitch's POV (District 8- Male):**

Why on Earth would they use velvet for the cuffs of his suit! This entire fashion industry here in the Capitol has never made sense to me, but this atrocity is by far one of the worst things I've seen. I realize I should be listening to President Hail's speech, but I can't take my eyes off the horrific mess of a suit he is wearing!

The first thing I noticed as I was wheeled out of the waiting area in my chariot was the design. No designer in his or her right mind would ever try to bring back the sidecut suit pattern. It just screams I-have-no-experience-and-I-am-forced-to-resort-to-using-trends-from-two-years-ago-because-I-am-not-creative-enough-to-come-up-with-my-own-design! I would never in a thousand years make a suit with that amount of horrible style, even for someone I hate.

The second noticeable thing was the buttons, particularly the second one from the top were sewn on hastily. The maker didn't even bother to double loop the thread before using the Flat Technique to secure it! I could tell it was a mistake from 70 metres away! I'm surprised the media hasn't noticed and revolted.

The final thing I noticed was the velvet on his cuffs. First of all, velvet should never be used to accentuate because it contrasts the rest of the outfit too much. Second, it isn't even nice velvet; it's the kind of velvet we produce at the smaller and less-profitable factories in District 8.  
As I continue to marvel at the stupidity of President Hail's designer, I feel the carriage being turned around and rolled back towards the waiting area. I remember the purpose of the tribute parade, so I try to smile and wave at the crowd, but I am still too preoccupied by the horrendous tragedy of the President's suit.

 **Greyson Reynoll POV (District 12- Male):**

The stretchy strap on my shoulder keeps bothering me. The designers dressed me it what appears to be a superhero costume for a radioactive monster. I have a tank top on with a yellow radioactive symbol on the front. According to the designers it will "accentuate my muscles" and "give off an air of toughness". So far all it's doing is giving me a rash.

I stare worriedly out at the crowds of people and frown as I realize that in a few days they will all be betting with my life. The horses begin to move forward and I try to replicate the tough-guy face the district 12 mentor told me to put on. As our carriage moves into the light, I realize that appearances, at least for this event, are everything. I decide it is best if I use my physical looks to my advantage.  
I try to stare menacingly at the audience and I flex my muscles. I don't know if it is doing anything, but a few girls in the audience have noticed me. As we roll down the path, I look for President Hail. After a few moments of searching the top deck, I see him. He looks down at us with a cold glare and I feel a shiver run through me. It's as though our lives are string in his hands and he has a pair of scissors ready to cut us away.

 **Zable Keenhorn POV (District 12- Female):**

I stand, stock still in the carriage, thinking. When I got onto the carriage a few minutes ago, I stood on the left side instead of the right for a minute. Just years ago, Dad was standing, as scared as I am now, in this exact spot. Everywhere I go in the Capitol, I think of Dad. He is my connection to the games and the only person I know who ever set a foot inside the Capitol. I see him (or what I imagine he looked like) in the room I slept in, in the designer's studio area, in the chariot with me now, in the training room I will go to tomorrow, and in the actual games themselves.

The horses pull us forward and I plaster a fake smile on my face. When we get into the light, I begin to wave and blow kisses at the audience. Glancing over at Greyson I see him flexing for the crowd. Shighing, I roll my eyes and catch a few flowers thrown at me. At least the audience seems to notice me. That should be a good sign!

We come in a full circle and I think about how scared and worried my Dad must have been. He probably knew he was going to die and never get to see his wife and child again. The thought of that almost makes me cry, but I manage to put up a façade of cheerfulness so that the crowd doesn't think I'm weak.


	20. Chapter 20: Training part 1

**_This is the first chapter of training. Every tribute will get a POV at some point during training and there will be six chapters of training and then there'll be the individual training sessions & scores before we move onto the interviews, so hopefully it won't be really long before the actual games begin. We are both at school again now though which will affect our writing pace, at the moment it shouldn't affect updates but if we're both swamped down with work, then it could happen, we'll try our best to not let it affect updates though. Once again thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 20**

 **Morning of Day 1 of training**

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

As soon as we are released to begin training the six of us careers all melt together, as if we had already agreed to. We haven't of course, apart from our district partners none of us have spoken to each other. We all know that we'll make a strong alliance though.

"To make sure that all of us are up to the usual standards, I think we should all show each other a chosen skill, just to make sure we can take out any weaklings in the pack," My district partner, Gabrielle, says and all the others, me included, nod in agreement.

"I'll go first." The District 4 girl volunteers, striding over to the knife throwing station confidently. "You!" She yells, pointing to an avox as she picks up a belt of throwing knives. "In front of that wall," The avox shifts uncomfortably on his feet. I expect they're only supposed to take orders from the game makers and instructors. "Now!" She adds, and the avox moves swiftly at her authoritative tone.

The District 4 girl, Kaitlin I think, takes the first knife from the belt and throws it up in the air. It spins around once before she catches it skilfully. I can tell she's had a lot of training with throwing knives and she feels right at home with one in her a flash of metal, the knife flies from her hand and lands right by the avox's neck. To his credit, the avox doesn't even flinch. Within a minute, all the knives are gone from Kaitlin's belt and there is a human shape made in the wall from knives where the avox has been standing. I nod my approval.

"Pretty good." I say. "I'll go next." My eyes dart around the training room, looking for the perfect weapon to demonstrate my skills with. My eyes stop at a station that is filled with deadly sharp metal shuriken. That will do perfectly. I know I will have to do something impressive after Kaitlin's display of knife throwing. I pick up two and place them so that I have one in each hand.

With deadly accuracy, I throw the first at a target and whilst running at the target I throw the second at another target. By the time the second has reached its target I have pulled the first shuriken out of the target and have used the target to rebound off so that I can run to the second target. After a few minutes of this, I stop and look around at the other five careers. From their expressions I know that I have impressed them all.

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

My heart hammers slightly in my chest as I take up my spear. Kaitlin and Kellan have both already shown deadly skill and accuracy, now it is my turn. I am not doing anything nearly as flashy as them, and for that I know that my father would be slightly disappointed, but I only need to show my strength to get into the career pack.

I begin to fight with one of the instructors as the station, weaving in and out of the other people at the training station. It's obvious that the instructor is very skilled at spear fighting, but then so am I. I've been preparing for this for years. I volunteered to be here, now I must prove myself.

Sweating slightly, I duck as she attacks me with a volley of blows once more. Seeing an opportunity, I bring my spear up to parry her spear and twist my spear so that her spear is forced out of her hand and clatters to the ground. I quickly push my leg out, kicking her in the kidney so that she doubles up in pain. Deftly, I bring the tip of my spear up to her neck, pressing it in slightly so that a drop of blood falls to the floor. As soon as it hits the floor, I fling the spear to the side and turn back to the other careers. They all look satisfied with my performance.

 **Phytophthora "Phyto" Neilson's POV (District 7 male)**

Panting slightly, I reach up to the next hand hole and heave my body further up the climbing wall. I look down and see that I have got nearly halfway up. I stop for a small break and look round at the rest of the training room. The careers are all training together at one of the weapons stations. The other tributes are dotted around at the other training stations. To my surprise, not everyone is at weapons stations, there are quite a few at survival stations.

After I have finished on the climbing wall, I will try and look for some allies. I'm only looking for strong ones that I can trust though. I'd rather go at it a lone wolf than have someone that will flee at the first sign of danger. I fully intend to win these games and I'm not going to let anything stop that.

I carry on climbing up the wall, my arms aching slightly, but still I push on through the pain. I may not have the luxury of being able to take a break in the arena. I must push myself to my limits in training so that I am prepared for the arena. Or at least be as prepared as one can be. I don't think anyone can be truly prepared for the arena. No one knows what is out there in the arena and what it will be like. Hopefully I can get a high training score and sponsors on my side though. That will certainly make things easier.

 **Alphie Rivera's POV (District 10 male)**

I watch the careers train as I try to start a fire. I wish I was good enough to ally with them, but I'm not. They'd only laugh in my face and would probably kill me in the arena if I asked.

"You know if you took some sticks off, it would start quicker because there'd be more oxygen." I spin around and see the District 8 female, Vicuna I think she's called, standing behind me.

"Oh, er-thanks," I say, pulling a few off. "You don't want to ally do you?" I ask quickly. If she was willing to help me start a fire, she might be willing to ally with me.

"No," She says. "I'm not looking for allies." A flicker of annoyance runs through me. I wouldn't make that bad an ally, would I? I know I'm not strong and am useless with weapons, but I bet I'm not the weakest tribute.

I ignore her as she begins to build her own fire near to me, but as soon as I get my fire going, I kick it out and move on. I need to continue my search for allies. I decide to head over to the water purification table where I can see the District 12 male is. Maybe he'll want to ally, he looks around my age, maybe a year older and tributes from District 12 usually die in the bloodbath so he might be wanting allies.

"Hey," I say to him as I reach the water purification table. I pick up a beaker of dirty water. "Yours is looking good." I nod to his beaker which looks a lot less rank than mine as he has filtered his. He still says nothing but nods to me in acknowledgement. "You looking for an ally?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

"Blood is thicker than water." He mutters, continuing with the purification of his beaker.

"I doubt it's thicker than this water." I joke, holding up my beaker with all the particles floating around. He just rolls his eyes. I guess I'm not going to persuade him to ally with him. I think I'll give up for the time being. Maybe I should just concentrate on training for now. Tonight I can think of something that'll make me sound really interesting to all the other tributes so they'll be queueing up to ally with me, not the other way round.


	21. Chapter 21: Training part 2

**Chapter 21**

 **Afternoon of day 1 training**

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)**

After lunch, we split up into two groups: boys and girls. We didn't get a lot done this morning because we needed to make sure that everyone was up to the standard needed for the career pack. We didn't want any weaklings getting in the way of our victory. Us girls have headed over to the archery station to practise our shooting skills. Bow and arrows are one of my best weapons so for me it'll just be an opportunity to show off and intimidate any weaker tributes that might be watching.

"Hey Gabrielle," I turn to face Kaitlin as I pick up a bow. "I dare you to shoot an arrow at that little kid." She nods towards a small girl. I know from studying the reapings carefully that it is Clover Wellas, the District 9 female. She's one of the youngest tributes going into the arena at the age of 12. She's staring at whilst she waits to go on the rope course. I take an arrow from my quiver. I'm not going to back down from a challenge and look weak.

"Where do you want it to go?" I ask her as I notch it in the bow.

"Just above her head." I aim my bow. The rope course is just beyond the archery station so I can just pretend that it was an accident. I let go of the arrow and it flies through the air and lands in the wall, just centimetres above her head. Kaitlin bursts out laughing at her shocked expression. She says nothing but yanks the arrow out of the wall and drops it on the floor at her feet.

"Hey, no attacking other tributes," The instructor that's at the archery station yells at me. "The next time I have to tell you, you'll be sitting out of training for the rest of the day."

"Sorry, I misaimed my arrow," I lie. "It was a complete accident." She doesn't look like she believes me, but she leaves it.

 **Kaitlin Gem's POV (District 4 female)**

"We've got just about enough time to have a practise with spears," I tell Lucina and Gabrielle, looking at the big clock in the training room. "And it's free so we don't have to put up with any annoyingly weak tributes." I add. Gabrielle seems like a laugh. If we had grown up in the same district, I think that we may have been friends. If we both survive these games and live in in the Capitol, I wouldn't be surprised if we did end up as friends. She even shot an arrow at some small girl that was watching us because I dared her to. Lucina is quieter. It's obvious from how she's been at the various stations that she's had a lot of training for these games. She goes completely serious and only focuses on the task ahead of her. I think she's slightly boring personally.

I ignore them both when we get to the station though. I want to focus on using lightweight spears in hand to hand combat. I pick a spear up and swing it around a couple of times to get a feel for it before getting an instructor to fight against me. We're pretty evenly matched. What I lack in brute strength, is made up for by my speed and endurance. We duck and weave around the station until I eventually have the spear twisted from my grip.

Cursing, I quickly roll between her legs before she can hold the spear up to my chest. I grab her feet as I go so that she is floored and in the split second it takes for her to jump back up, I have snatched the spear out of her hand and have it pointed at her exposed throat.

"Good, just trying and watch out for getting disarmed in future," She tells me. "Me twisting the spear out of your hand was a basic move." I nod, putting the spear back where I got it from. I am just in time as one of the instructors yells that training for today is over. I think that went well.

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

"Come on, I'll show you the basics of first aid," Cel says to me when we've both finished eating lunch. We agreed to ally soon after we met. She wanted someone who would be able to defend herself and I wanted someone I could trust in the arena. It's an added bonus that she knows quite a bit about medicine from wanting to be a veterinarian. We have quite similar personalities as well which means that we got off well from the start. "I won't have enough time to teach you the nitty-gritty stuff, but even the basics could save your life in the arena." Neither of us mention that if I'm doing first aid on myself then it either means that Cel will be dead or for whatever reason, our alliance will have broken up.

"Thanks," I smile as we walk over to the empty station. I spent this morning helping her practise using a knife in hand to hand combat. For a tribute that isn't from a career district, I'm decent at hand to hand combat.

"The most important thing if you're bleeding is to make sure the wound doesn't get infected. Even the tiniest cut could kill you if it gets dirt in," Cel tells me. "Even if you just put a plaster on, it could save your life. Make sure whatever you use to cover it up is clean though, you don't want to be shoving an infection into the wound." I nod at this. "If possible when using a bandage, sterilise it first by putting it in boiling water for a few minutes first to be on the safe side. Wait for it too cool before using it on the wound though." She adds. "You don't want to burn yourself on top of whatever wound you got."

"Wouldn't the wound cauterize though?" I ask but she shakes her head.

"If you don't know what you're doing cauterizing a wound can be very dangerous. Only do it in extreme circumstance." She tells me and I nod.

 **Celica "Cel" Branston's POV (District 10 female)**

"How about learning how to make a shelter next?" Vanisa suggested once I've been over some of the basics of first aid with her. I nod knowing that it will come in handy. If we're to make it across the arena in 3 weeks, we're gonna need to be well rested. Vanisa is my ideal ally, she seems pretty trustworthy and she is a pretty good fighter, which makes up for my lack of fighting skills. I'm really hoping that we both make it out of the arena. With more people willing to kill this year though, I'm not sure whether we will.

We walk to the shelter making station and there's only one other tribute there. I'm not even sure which district they're from to be honest. We ignore them though and just follow the instructions on a sheet of paper. We first have to find larger branches to make the main frame of the shelter. They're pretty heavy so it takes us a while to move them and position them so that they're stable. After that it's just a case of finding smaller branches, mud and leaves to close up all the gaps to stop any wind getting in. It's only then that we realise that we haven't left any gaps to actually get into the shelter and we find it so funny that we have to stop for 30 seconds to laugh at our own stupidity. I guess it's better to make a mistake like that in training rather than in the arena when you need as much sleep as possible and something like that would take away precious hours of sleep.

Eventually we manage to finish the shelter and then we go on to learning how to make shelters in other terrains in case there aren't any trees around. By the time training for the day ends me and Vanisa are pretty certain we won't be getting cold at night.


	22. Chapter 22: Training part 3

**_All the sponsor points and sponsor list is up on Lonely Geek's profile, so if you want to know how many sponsor points you have, you can check it out. Thank you for all your reviews, they mean so much to us._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 22**

 **Morning of day 2 training**

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

Yesterday I was able to practice my main weapon, spears, so today I want to work on survival or other weapons in case they don't have spears at the Cornucopia. As I walk into the training room, Kaitlin runs up to me.

"Hey Lucina!" she calls. Good, I think, she trusts me. I have her on my side now. Keep up the good work Lucina.

"Today Gabrielle and I were thinking about going to the swimming pool. We don't know what the arena will look like and wanted to be prepared for anything. Are you okay with that? Kellan said they have an awesome way to simulate swimming in a lake and I wanted to try it. It's salt water and has little jets that make it seem like-" She continues rambling, not noticing that I already walked off to join Gabrielle. She is standing a bit to the side watching Kaitlin chatter at top speed with a slightly amused expression.

"So, how do you feel about simulated lakes?" she asks, laughing.

"Sounds good" I reply as Kaitlin rejoins us, looking a bit embarrassed.

We head over to the 'lakes. I dip my hand in the water and confirm that the water is both saltwater and freezing. I don't want to get in, but I must be prepared for everything and I don't want to look like a wimp. After a few seconds of hesitation, I jump in, cringing as the cold water splashes up around me.

Kaitlin had no hesitation and is already swimming confidently towards the deeper end of the pool. Gabrielle and I remain in the shallower water for a few minutes, getting accustomed to the temperature. Eventually, I swim out towards Kaitlin. She has been talking to one of the Avox servants and as I swim over, she claps her hands excitedly.

"Yay! Finally! It took you forever!" she exclaims, "Do you want to make this into more of a lake?" she asks, almost shaking with excitement.

"Um...okay?" I answer, unsure of what she means.

As soon as those words leave my mouth, the Avox servant presses a button and the pool changes. The tiles beneath our feet retract, leaving a sandy and rocky bottom. The water gets substantially colder and the jets on the side begin to cause some waves to kick up a current. In addition, a few fish and crabs can now be seen swimming which I'm positive weren't there originally.

I hear Gabrielle shriek as a fish swims by her foot. I laugh and swim back over to her. It is much harder to make it back to her because the current seems set on keeping me in one place.

Once I make it over there, I see Kaitlin has gotten out of the pool and is jogging over to the knife throwing station. She talks briefly to the guard there and then grabs 5 knives. She walks back over to us and gets into the 'lake'.

"I dare you to throw a knife at a target from inside the pool!" she declares with a smirk. Gabrielle immediately takes the bait and grabs a knife from her.

"Dare accepted!" she exclaims, already aiming for the target. Thankfully, the throwing knife area is empty. The main difficulty I notice is that to throw you also have to tread water and that makes it a lot harder to have a steady hand. Despite those difficulties and the extended distance, Gabrielle managed to hit the left arm of the target.

"Pretty good" I acknowledge. "But I bet I can get the head." I grab another knife and begin to line up to throw.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

After working on spear throwing for all of yesterday afternoon, I feel competent in my ability to fight with one. I decided at breakfast that I would work on survival skills today.

Once the instructor finished reviewing the rules with us, I scanned the survival stations. Eventually, I decided to spend an hour learning how to create a shelter.

I begin to start shaping a teepee-like structure out of wood. Only one other tribute is at the shelter station and she seems much more knowledgeable about structure-making. After just 10 minutes, she has already created a much better teepee than I could make in an hour.

I don't know her name, but according to her tag she's from District 3. I eventually work up the courage to ask her for help.

"Um, excuse me" I ask nervously, "how did you get the central wooden stakes to stay in place?" She looks up at me, analyzing my teepee, and then scoots over to my section of the station. She moves one of the rods slightly to the left, and suddenly the teepee stays standing properly.

"Thank you so much! How did you know how to do that?" I question.

"Easy. You just have to create a strong perpendicular crossway between the primary and secondary rods" she explains.

"Well, thanks anyway," I say, smiling. "I'm Lena by the way."

"Aileen" she replies, "Are you looking for an ally?"

"Sure! If you would be willing."

"Definitely, if you let me can make the shelters" she jokes.

 **Vicuna Addens's POV (District 8 female)**

I already tried to learn how to use weapons yesterday, so for today I decide to go to the survival stations. I emphasize the 'tried' because I was nowhere near successful. I wanted to try my skills in swimming, but then I saw the career tributes heading over there and I decided not to risk getting their attention. Instead, I walk over to the edible plants and bugs station.

I'm pretty confident in my ability to recognize edible bugs, but I figure I might as well test my skills against the capitol technology. Many of the bugs are ones I recognize from the woods of District 8, but there are a few that I haven't seen before. For those, I try to use the technique of deciding based on color and number of legs.

I am proud, but not very surprised when my results come back with a 97% chance of survival. At least I know I could eat bugs if necessary!

The edible plants section is much more difficult as many of the plants look nearly identical. I recognize much more of the trees than any of the other plants, but flowers are my true weakness. I mix up a foxglove with a hydrangea, but both are poisonous, so I would have died anyway. I manage to scrape by on the plants with a 74%, so I think I'm just going to stick to bugs.

Over at the swimming station, I see the career girls have left, so I walk over. I begin to swim some laps and I am fairly competent, but I tire after only 4 laps around the pool.

 **Maisie Bismark's POV (District 11 Female)**

Yesterday, Deliah and I met on the running tracks. She and I agreed to train together and maybe be allies in the actual games. I hope she wants to because I really could use her help with fighting. I tried to use a few weapons, but it was pretty hopeless.

When I arrive for the second day, I spot Deliah standing off to the side and I join her, glad she chose somewhere relatively quiet. The career tributes are all standing near the center and chatting loudly. I see a few other tributes beginning to ally, but many are still solo.

"Hey Deliah" I begin uncertainly, "do you want to work on survival skills today? I want to try swimming and climbing in addition to the standard survival things." She nods and gestures for me to follow her over to the climbing station. We get harnessed in and begin to work on the easiest wall. Together, we make it to the very top and begin to jump back.

"Um... Maisie?" Deliah says, her voice barely above a whisper, "Do you think we could team up during the actual games?"

"That sounds awesome!" I grin enthusiastically. Together, we manage to make it all the way up to the top of the hardest wall, carrying a pack of supplies, fairly quickly. I become increasingly glad of her companionship and promised assistance during the actual games, assuming I make it through the bloodbath.

"We should work on some other skills" Deliah offers, "How about the shelter making and then the pool area?"

"Sounds great!" I reply, no longer unsure of her support.


	23. Chapter 23: Training part 4

**_Thank you for all your reviews, they mean so much to us._**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 23**

 **Afternoon of day 2 training**

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

Ignoring all the sounds of grunting, clashing of metal and stench of sweat around me as I swing me sword around to the dummy. All of us careers have split up so that we can work on individual weaknesses. Although spears are my weapon of choice, I want to be as good as possible with other weapons and swords are a common weapon at the cornucopia so I want to have a practise with them.

Tomorrow morning, I will practise with a spear what I am going to perform in my individual training session. I'm hoping to get at least a 9. That's about average for a career. I want to remain about average, for a career. I don't want to look like a target, but I still need to look strong in front of sponsors. I just need to concentrate on making four kills and making it across the arena with the rest of the careers.

I swing the sword again and it smashes against the metal dummy with a satisfying clang and leaves a deep scratch behind. Before I go for the next swing, I use the back of my hand to wipe away a bead of sweat from my forehead. I should move on soon, I've already spent an hour at this station, but I want to spend a little time at the edible plants station. The other careers may not have realised, but we will have to have some survival knowledge because we won't be able to carry all the food and water from the cornucopia through the arena with us.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

"Here," I say to Aileen, passing her a much lighter spear than she is currently using. "Maybe you'll do better with a lighter spear."

"Thanks," She says, taking it and throwing it at the target. It falls short by about a meter. "I don't think I'm cut out for spear throwing though." She says, walking to pick the spear up as I throw my spear and it hits the centre of the target. "You're getting really good at this." She says.

"I'm useless with all the other weapons though," I point out. Aileen approached me this morning wanting to ally and we got on well immediately. She seems pretty trustworthy, but I'm not going to let me guard down. She says that she's really squeamish when it comes to blood and death, which I'm kind of hoping is true because it'll be less likely that she'll back stab me. We've spent today teaching each other skills that we're good at. Neither of us particularly want to run into the bloodbath. She said that she might run in if she thinks she won't get attacked, but we're both pretty sure we can make it through the arena on our own wits. Hopefully if sponsors see our survival skills, I might get sponsored a spear and Aileen a knife. "Do you want to move on now?" I ask and she nods.

"Fire starting?" She suggests.

"Good idea." I say and we both put our spears back and head over to the station. We go straight onto starting a fire without matches. It's unlikely we'll have matches and building up the fire with the sticks and kindling will be the same anyway.

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female)**

As soon as I've finished my lunch, I head over to the knife station. I want to get my family to the Capitol, and to do that I will have to make kills. I'm terrified of doing it, but it might ease my nerves if I do a bit of training with a knife. It's the easiest weapon to use and they're pretty common at the cornucopia most years, though I'm not going to hang around for long once the games begin.

I spent this morning at the edible plants and snares stations. I didn't bother with edible bugs because I know almost everything there is to know about bugs from Strapson, which I guess puts me at a slight advantage to the rest of the outliers. I at least won't starve. If I live long enough to eat. I need to stay positive though. I learnt loads at the snares station as well, so I'm hoping that I can get my hands on some wire so I can put it into practise in the arena.

I pick up a belt of throwing knives and strap it to my waist before walking to a target. I want to start relatively close and then get further away. Learning knife throwing, could also help me to find food because I could use the same technique to hunt. It's clear from my first throw that knife throwing is not my hidden talent. I am only a few meters away and I barely hit the target. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time here.

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female)**

"Wow, that's amazing," Delilah says to me as I finish up camouflaging my arm by adding a couple of small tendrils of ivy to my arm. "You look exactly like a tree."

 _Bone-spur, stirrup of veins—white colt  
a tree, sapling bone again, worn to a splinter,  
a steeple, the birch aground_

 _in its ravine of leaves. Abide with me, arrive  
at its skinned branches, its arms pulled  
from the sapling, your wrist taut, _

_each ganglion a gash in the tree's rent  
trunk, a child's hackwork, love plus love,  
my palms in your fist, that_

 _trio a trident splitting the birch,  
its bark papyrus, its scars calligraphy,  
_ _ **a ghost story written on**_

 _winding sheets, the trunk bowing, dead is  
my father, the birch reading the news  
of the day aloud as if we hadn't _

_heard it, the root moss lit gas,  
_ _ **like the veins on your ink-stained hand—  
the birch all elbows, taking us in.**_

"Thanks," I reply. "You just need to focus on one layer at a time. Just focus on one colour and it all builds up."

"Camouflage isn't really my thing," Delilah says to me. "I'm more of a book person." Books? I wonder if she likes poetry?

"Do you like poetry?" I ask her and she shrugs.

"It's okay, but I prefer actual stories," She tells me. "You love poetry don't you?" I nod. "Sometimes your eyes glaze over and you fade out of conversation, is that you thinking about poetry?" I hadn't realised I did that. Thinking about it I probably do. I find reciting poetry comforting. It helps me to relax.


	24. Chapter 24: Training part 5

_**Thank you for all your reviews, we hope you enjoy this chapter :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 24**

 **Morning of day 3 training (part 1)**

 **Nyan Donne's POV (District 3 male)**

Copying the instructions on the screen in front of me, I begin to form a knot. It's not long before I have something that looks kind of like the image on the screen. I untie it and then repeat, being more careful this time so that it looks even more like the image. It's not long before I have it nailed and I move onto the next station.

I'm spending this morning having a quick practise at as many stations as I can. It's my last chance to practise the skills that may save my life in the arena so I want to go through as many skills as possible. I go to the edible plants station next and just do the quiz to see if I need to spend any time there. I get 93% which is reasonable. If I don't recognise a plant in the arena, I just won't eat it. Besides, I may be able to get food at the cornucopia. I am only going to run in for food and a weapon, but if I pass a pack and it won't slow me down too much, I'd probably grab it.

I then walk over to the water purification tablet. I'll have a practise without using the water purification tablets and see how well I do. I first use a scrap piece of cloth to filter off all the gunk, the water looks clear now, but I know that there'll still be particles in it. Next I hold it over a fire so that it begins to boil, telling me that it should be safe to drink. I pour the water into the purification tester and it beeps up my result 88%. I must've not boiled it for long enough. I'll just be really careful about that in the arena.

 **Cabe Bellscape's POV (District 6 male)**

I sort through the maces trying to find one about the right weight for me. I know that I won't have the luxury of being able to choose a mace at the cornucopia, I'll just have to grab the nearest weapon, but if I can get an impressive training score, I might get sponsored. I find one that's about the right weight for me and begin to practise with it. When I'm confident with it and my target is full of deep scratches, I get an instructor to fight with me.

It's not long before I'm on the floor with a mace against my chest, but I refuse to give up and stand up to fight again. I need to keep practising. I'm not going to do any killing because I don't believe that the Capitol will keep to their agreement and let us bring our family to the Capitol. Any fighting I do in the arena will be self defence.

After several attempts, I finally manage to disarm the instructor and then I sweep my leg under her feet so that she topples to the floor. Smiling, I put the mace to her chest, but she's already gone. She scrambled back and then kicks at me before leaping back to her feet. Disarmed, she throws kicks and punches at me, but with no weapon she's at a huge disadvantage and I soon have my mace at her throat.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

I begin to pile the kindling up and build the sticks up around it. Fire starting is one of the only survival stations I haven't managed to get around in the past couple of days. I have focused only on survival. Physically, I'm incredibly weak so going around weapons stations would be pointless because I wouldn't be able to hold half the weapons.

I pick up a box of matches and take one out. I won't have matches in the arena, unless I'm sponsored, but I need them to begin with. After I've got the hang of starting a fire, I will practise without matches. I swipe the match against the side of the box so that it sets alight and then I put it in the kindling of dry leaves and grass. It catches fire in no time but burns out before the sticks surrounding it catch fire. Annoyed, I begin getting more kindling. I get much more than before and then put the sticks around it, making sure that there is enough oxygen so that the fire doesn't die out.

I take another match to start another fire. I swipe it against the box, but I swipe too hard and the match snaps in two. Frustrated, I take one more match and this time I manage to lit it and then I use it to also light the kindling. This time the wood catches as well and I have a good fire going.

 **Greyson Rennoll's POV (District 12 male)**

I decide to have one last practise at weapons this morning. I know I'm not the strongest tribute by a long way, but if I am attacked by the careers I need to be able to defend myself until I can run away from them and escape. I go to the sword station first and take up a fairly light sword. I swing at one of the dummies. It leaves a satisfying scrape in the neck that hopefully would mean that I have cut my victim's throat. I swing it again and it clangs against the dummy's stomach. It leaves another deep dent. I pull the sword up again, but this time instead of swinging it, I jab it where the heart would be.

This time, it leaves a deeper dent and it's also more precise than my other blows onto the dummy. I decide that I shouldn't wear myself out too much before this afternoon. I don't want to be too tired to perform my best in my individual training session. I'm starting to get nervous about it. If I don't perform well, then I will be seen as an easy target. My mentor has told me that weaponry always scores higher than survival skills, so I plan on showing them some skills with my best weapon: an axe. I know that I won't be the highest scoring tribute, but if I can get a half decent score, people won't see me as a threat, but I also won't be seen as an easy target. Hopefully, I can just get under the radar and be able to get through the arena with enough kills to get my family to the Capitol with me.


	25. Chapter 25: Training part 6

_**This is the last chapter of training, the next chapter will be the individual sessions and scores. Thank you for all your reviews, we hope you enjoy this chapter :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 25**

 **Morning of day 3 training (part 2)**

 **Aileen Kennedy's POV (District 3 female)**

The atmosphere around the breakfast table is more tense than I've ever seen it. Cabe and I have only a few more hours before I have to show the game makers everything I know.

Cabe looks just as petrified as I feel, but he manages to give one word answers to the questions asked around the table.

"So, are you ready for today?"

"Sure," Cabe replies, looking totally unsure.

I gave up on answering these questions and simply sit in silence, moving food around on my plate. **  
**I already know I need to make the most of the last 3 training hours. I have already been to most of the stations, but I think I want to practice more on some of the weapons stations. Lena and I have been made our way through most of the survival stations yesterday, but those skills won't be useful if I don't make it through the bloodbath. I really hope I manage to survive the initial fights because I think Lena and I stand a chance of surviving by staying hiding and moving quickly.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

I arrive in the training room a few minutes late and quickly slip in so as not to disturb anyone. I jog over to where Maisie is and sit down next to her. The woman leading the training gives us the same debrief she has given us the last two days. I glance around at the other tributes and see that the District 8 Male, Andre, is distracted and rubbing his fingers over the cloth of his shirt. Gabrielle, the District 1 Female, is rolling her eyes and mockingly mouthing the words the training woman says. **  
**Maisie seems nervous and tired. I can hear her reciting the words to The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I give her a small smile and whisper "Are you ready?"

She vigorously shakes her head and gives me a terrified look. I nod my head and turn back to the trainer. She seems to realize none of us are actually listening and stops reciting her usual speech. She gestures to the room and walks away.

Maisie and I stand up and begin to walk to the knives station. Many of the career tributes have moved on from the weapons stations, but a few other tributes are also trying to do a last-minute touch-up on their knife throwing skills.

 **Clover Wellas' POV (District 9 female)**

I see Delilah and Maisie walk over to the knife station. I've been following them around for the past few days. I wish I had enough courage to ally with them. They seem to be as shy as I am, but Maisie looks like someone I would've been friends with back in District 9. They haven't noticed that I've been tagging along with them.

After almost having my neck pierced with arrow fired by one of the career tributes, I tried to learn some defence skills, but I was completely helpless. **  
**Still, I grab 5 knives and attempt to throw them at the target. The first two miss completely, the third one hits the wall around the target, the fourth one hits the second ring from the outside, and the fifth one falls short by a whole metre.

Urg! I groan, thinking about the likelyhood of me dying in the first few minutes. I wish I were strong enough to get back at Gabrielle for firing that arrow at me, but sadly I'm too small and weak. Unfortunately, I doubt I'm gonna make it very far at all during the actual games especially if I pick a fight with a career tribute.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

Phyto, Cabe, and I finally each get a fire started and I wipe my forehead with the back of my palm. Who knew starting a fire would be so difficult? It took us an hour just to complete that one task, so hopefully we will have matches in the actual arena.

"Do ya'll want to do more survival, or head over to weapons?" I ask, hoping for the latter because that's what will actually be useful in the individual training.

"What about hand-to-hand combat?" Phyto asks.

"Sounds good to me" I reply already running over and get the attention of a few Avoxes. I manage to beat my Avox, as does Phyto, but Cabe is defeated fairly easily and falls to the mat with a grunt of pain after receiving a punch to the jaw.

"You ok?" I call over to him.

"Yeah, its fine, but how do you manage to block something like that?" he replies.

"Use your speed to dodge the blow" Phyto recommends and jogs over to help Cabe up. Hopefully our alliance will remain this strong during the actual games. I think we all have a better chance of survival together, I just hope they see it too!


	26. Chapter 26: Individual Training Sessions

_**Sorry it's a day late, I (Lonely Geek) was coming back from Madrid yesterday so we couldn't update. We've only got two more chapters until the games start now. Please let us know what you think!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 26**

 **Tal Morgan's (Game maker) notes from individual training sessions**

 _D1F (Gabrielle Duponte):_

 _Showed great archery skills and almost always hit bullseye, even when targets were moving. Very impressive. Also showed accurate knife throwing skills. Probably a 9._

 _D1M (Kellan Bronz):_

 _Demonstrated excellent spear throwing. Rarely misses vital organs on the dummy and throws from a reasonable distance. Went on to throw knives with skill as well. The distance is shorter, but just as accurate. 9 or 10._

 _D2F (Lucina Aquila):_

 _Fought against an instructor using a spear. Very impressive, including acrobatic moves with the fighting which works very well. Very skilled, one to keep an eye on in the arena. Definitely a 10._

 _D2M (Darius Vaide):_

 _Uses a variety of weapons including katanas and spears. Proves himself to be fairly competent with all of them, however he doesn't have the finesse that his district partner demonstrated. 8 or 9._

 _D3F (Aileen Kennedy):_

 _Creates a shelter out of wood, leaves and mud. Looks fairly sound and would protect someone from wind and rain but not particularly impressive. 4 at absolute most._

 _D3M (Nyan Donne):_

 _Hacked with a machete at a dummy. Although the hacking is effective and the dummy is left with a few deep scratches, it's not amazing demonstration of skills, anyone can hack away at a still target. Maybe a 4 or 5._

 _D4F (Kaitlin Gem):_

 _Showed fighting skills with knives. Fought against an instructor and eventually beat them. Doesn't show any other skills though and made a couple of basic mistakes that could have cost her her life if they had been properly fighting. Maybe a 7._

 _D4M (Port Tidello):_

 _Threw spears from a distance with good accuracy then fought an instructor with a spear. Good fighting skills, however doesn't show much variety with weapons. 7 or 8._

 _D5F (Lena Grey):_

 _Started a fire without matches. Not really impressive, but it could be a useful skill. Went on to throw spears from a short distance with reasonable accuracy. Nothing really impressive though as it wasn't over any distance. 5 or 6._

 _D5M (Damian Andel):_

 _Fought an instructor with knives with competence. Took a while, but he did manage to disarm the instructor and held the knife to his throat. Probably a 7._

 _D6M (Cabe Bellscape):_

 _Went on the gauntlet. Fast on his feet, though he didn't really show any other skills. Wasn't really impressive. 4._

 _D6F (Delilah Hester):_

 _Demonstrated several survival skills. Purified water which will be helpful, though had to use matches to start the fire when purifying. Also passed the edible plants test. 5._

 _D7M (Phytophthora Nelison):_

 _Showed competence when wielding an axe, both with fighting and fairly good accuracy when throwing them. 7._

 _D7F (Vanisa Tildene):_

 _Showed excellent climbing skills, which is going to be useful in the bloodbath. Also demonstrated quite good hand to hand combat skills. 6 or 7._

 _D8M (Andre Stitch):_

 _Fights a training instructor with a pair a pair of wire cutting scissors from the snares table. Odd choice of weapon, but it does work as a weapon. He's clearly not a very skilled fighter and the instructor is going easy so he wins. Also shows some camouflage skills which are fairly good, but not a particularly useful skill. 4._

 _D8F (Vicuna Addens):_

 _Does some swimming and passes the edible bugs test without getting a single one wrong. Doesn't show any form of combat skill though. 2._

 _D9M (Marcus Thresher):_

 _Builds a fire. Takes him almost the whole time to do it, even using matches. Spends the remainder of his time climbing, but he doesn't get far at all. 3._

 _D9F (Clover Wellas):_

 _Does the edible plants test. Passes, but spends a lot of time deciding her answers, she'll need to be quicker than that in the arena if she's gonna make it across in time. 2._

 _D10M (Alphie Rivera):_

 _Goes on the gauntlet, survives for a while but eventually loses balance and falls off. Then goes on to begin purifying water, but runs out of time. Pretty unimpressive. 2._

 _D10F (Celica Branston):_

 _Demonstrates fighting skills with a knife. Nothing really impressive, but she can hold her ground. Goes on to make a fire without matches. A lot better than some of the stuff we've had today. Probably a 5 or 6._

 _D11M (Orrick Jamieson):_

 _Swings a mace at a dummy for a while, leaving some deep scratches, but it's obvious he is just swinging around and hoping for the best. Passes the edible plants test. 5 at best._

 _D11F (Maisie Bismark):_

 _Spends all her time at the camouflage station, turning her arm into a mossy bed of weeds. It looks pretty realistic, but fighting is what's gonna be helpful in the arena. 4 or 5._

 _D12M (Greyson Rennoll):_

 _Fights with an instructor, showing skills with an axe. Surprisingly it's a lot better than some of the fighting I've seen from District 12 tributes, but it's still not amazing. Maybe a 5._

 _D12F (Zable Keenhorn):_

 _Showed her skills with a katana against an instructor. She doesn't have amazing skill, but she is quick on her feet so manages to win. 5 or 6._

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

I grin happily, my eyes still on the TV. A 10! That's got to be the highest in the career pack. I was hoping for a 9, but a 10. That's amazing. All the sponsors will have their eyes on me now. I just need to get everyone to love me in the interview, and I've got these games in the bag.

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)**

"Also from District 1, Gabrielle Duponte with an impressive 9," Says the presenter on the TV. A small smile comes over my face. That's decent. Lower than Kellan, but sponsors will still be looking at me, especially if I pull my interview off well. I'm happy with a nine, I don't think it'll be the lowest in the career pack which is good as well because I don't want to look like the weakling.

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

"With an 8, Darius Vaide from District 2," The TV says. I nod my head. It's the lowest career score so far, but with careers, training scores don't matter so long as they aren't abysmal. I'll just have to make sure that I put on a good show at the bloodbath. Then I begin to pay attention as they announce Lucina's score.

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

A smile comes across my face as it sinks in. A 10! It's more than I could've hoped for. Only one of the other careers have got a 10 so far. I'm definitely not going to be seen as one of the weaker careers. In fact, I'll probably be seen as one of the strongest, which is really good in terms of sponsors.

 **Nyan Donne's POV (District 3 male)**

"From District 3, Nyan Donne with a score of 4," Disappointment floods through me. I was really aiming for a 7, but clearly they didn't think I was very impressive. I guess I'll really have to work hard for my interview so I can still get sponsors on my side. Besides training scores don't really count for anything, for all anyone knows, I could've been aiming for a low to average score so people overestimate me.

 **Aileen Kennedy's POV (District 3 female)**

"Also from District 3, Aileen Kennedy with a score of 3," A 3 is pretty bad, but I wasn't really aiming for a high score. According to Tessa, they only really give high scores to people who use weapons because that's the skill they view as most important. I just built a shelter, which I guess doesn't seem very impressive now, but when we're in the arena and the careers have no idea how to build a shelter and can't carry all their stuff from the cornucopia along with them, it'll be me in my shelter during a snowstorm having the last laugh.

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

I nod happily at my score. An 8 is decent. From the non career scores we've had so far, it'll be a breeze winning these games. The highest score from District 3 was a 4. I doubt that many of the other districts will have a particularly high score either, maybe that boy from 5, he seemed to look fairly competent with weapons, he's probably had some sort of training, but it won't be as much as us from the career districts so I'm not really concerned about it.

 **Kaitlin Gem's POV (District 4 female)**

"Kaitlin Gem from District 4 with a score of 7," A twinge of regret goes through me. It's a good score, but it's the lowest out of the careers. I don't want any of them thinking that I'm weak and kicking me out of the career pack. Hopefully from training they saw that I was good enough to join them. It's not like my score's really low.

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male)**

"Well done Damian," Reed grins at me, pulling me in for a hug.

"Thanks," I return the smile. A 7. Wow. I can hardly believe it. I have the same score as one of the careers. I thought I might get a 6, but my training must have really paid off. I'm really happy with my score. Sponsors should definitely have their eyes on me now.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

I can hardly hear my score announcement over the sound of Reed and Damian celebrating Damian's score of 7, but fortunately for me, the score flashes up on the screen as well as a photo of me. It's a 5. I'm reasonably happy with that. It irritates me that Reed doesn't bother congratulating me the way he did with Damian, but then he's always favouring him. I'm used to it now, as long as he doesn't choose to only secure sponsors with Damian and not me, I don't really care too much anymore. He's not really that useful when I'm in the arena, apart from with sponsors.

 **Cabe Bellscape's POV (District 6 male)**

"Cabe Bellscape from District 6 with a score of four," It's slightly lower than I would've liked, but I can't do anything about that. I might not have the best fighting skills, but I've picked up a few survival skills so hopefully I can just use those to make my way across the arena and I might be lucky and not bump into other tributes. It's a long shot, but it's all I've got.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

"Also from District 6 with a score of 5 is Delilah Hester," I can work with that. 5 is a pretty average score. Hopefully it will stop me from getting picked on for being weak but also stops me from being targetted because I'm a threat. I wasn't really expecting anything higher because I didn't show any fighting skills. I'm happy with a 5 though. It's certainly not the worst score of these games.

 **Phytophthora "Phyto" Neilson's POV (District 7 male)**

I feel the sides of my lips tugging up into a faint smile as I stare at the TV. I hadn't thought I was good enough with axes to get a 7. Clearly I was wrong though. I have the same score as one of the careers. People definitely won't be counting me out now. The only problem now is that the careers may target me.

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

"From District 7, Vanisa Tildene with a score of 6," I nod my approval. A 6 is decent. It's not as high as Phyto, but that doesn't really matter. A six is about average so people will overlook me which is always a good thing. I hope Cel does okay as well. It'll be annoying if she does badly and so is seen as an easy target because of it.

 **Andre Stitch's POV (District 8 male)**

"Now onto District 8. Andre Stitch with a score of 4," I'm slightly disappointed with that. I guess it's because I didn't used scissors as a weapon instead of one of the more conventional weapons like a sword or spear. I thought my camouflage was decent as well, I guess they don't see survival skills as important. I'll just have to hope that I win over the Capitol in my interview.

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female)**

"Vicuna Addens with a score of 2," I sigh slightly, but it doesn't really surprise me. I didn't show any fighting skills after all and that's all they really care about. They just want good fighters to put on a good game. I'm terrified at the thought of having to kill, but I want to see my family again so I'm going to have to put my own feelings aside. I may not be a fighter, but that 2 doesn't define me. Maybe I can outsmart the other tributes.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

"From District 9, Marcus Thresher with a score of 3," I was expecting a low training score. In fact I was aiming for a low one. Three is what I wanted. I'll go under the radar and people will underestimate me. That's my strategy anyway.

 **Clover Wellas' POV (District 9 female)**

"Clover Wellas with a score of 2," It annoys me slightly. I didn't make any mistakes on the edible plants test. I know that it wasn't really impressive, but I was hoping for at least a 3. Knowing edible plants in the arena is vital for surviving. At least I'm easily forgettable now though. The 12 year old girl from District 9 with a training score of 2. No one's gonna think I'm a threat. I'll have to use that to my advantage.

 **Alphie Rivera's POV (District 10 male)**

"Alphie Rivera with a score of 2," My face burns bright red with embarrassment. I storm out of the dining room where we're watching the training recaps and to my room. A 2! Only the girls from 8 and 9 have managed that low. I wasn't that bad in my individual training. Okay, I did fall off the gauntlet, but I did manage to stay on for quite a while. This whole thing is rigged.

 **Celica "Cel" Branston's POV (District 10 female)**

"Also from District 10 with a score of 6 is Celica Branston," A smile comes across my face as my escort squeals.

"That's amazing," She says in such a high pitched voice that I'm surprised my ear drums haven't broken. I'm too happy to care though. A 6 is good. It shows I'm a fighter. Vanisa got a 6 as well, so I think between us, we're going to be a pretty strong alliance.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

"Onto District 11. First off Orrick Jamieson with a score of 5," A nod my head in approval. I would have liked a 6, but a 5 is still good. It's about average. I guess making sure that I showed some fighting skills definitely paid off. It's no secret that they give people that show fighting skills higher training scores.

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female)**

"Maisie Bismarck with a score of 4," I am pleasantly surprised by this. My mentor told me that if a tribute doesn't do fighting skills they rarely get over a 3. A four is good though. It's not so bad that I'll be seen as any easy target but hopefully I won't be counted out by the sponsors.

 **Greyson Rennoll's POV (District 12 male)**

"Greyson Rennoll with a score of 5," A 5 is an alright score. I wasn't expecting anything like the careers, they've been training for these games their whole lives, though there have been a couple of tributes from non-career districts that have got high scores. A five tells the sponsors that I'm not really weak though which is what I needed.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

"And last but not least is Zable Keenhorn with a score of 5," I sigh with relief. It's been nerve racking having to wait through all the other training scores before finally hearing mine. A 5 is okay. It's pretty average which hopefully mean I will get overlooked by the careers and other stronger tributes.

 **Training Score overview:**

 **D1M - 10**

 **D1F - 9**

 **D2M - 8**

 **D2F - 10**

 **D3M - 4**

 **D3F - 3**

 **D4M - 8**

 **D4F - 7**

 **D5M - 7**

 **D5F - 5**

 **D6M - 4**

 **D6F - 5**

 **D7M - 7**

 **D7F - 6**

 **D8M - 4**

 **D8F - 2**

 **D9M - 3**

 **D9F - 2**

 **D10M - 2**

 **D10F - 6**

 **D11M - 5**

 **D11F - 4**

 **D12M - 5**

 **D12F - 5**


	27. Chapter 27: Interviews

_**We hope you enjoy, and please let us know what you think.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 27**

 **The Interviews**

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

"Now, welcome onto the stage, Darius Vaide of District 2," Estrella Palis announced as I stride onto the stage, waving to the audience who are cheering at me.

"Hi Estrella," I smile, taking my seat next to her on the stage.

"Hey Darius," She grins back before beginning the interview. "So that was an impressive 10 you managed to score in training. How did you manage it?" I shrug.

"It was nothing," I smile. It's a lie of course. I've spent almost my whole life training to get into the games. I was really happy with my training score. I would have been happy with a 9, but a 10 is really impressive.

"I don't think the audience thinks it's nothing," Estrella says, turning to the audience who all cheer and applaud.

"Well I guess it is quite impressive," I admit. "I just did my best in my individual training session, and I guess it paid off."

"It must have done," Estrella said. "Now how are you enjoying your time in the Capitol?"

"It's great," I tell her. "The food is so delicious and I can't wait to come back here with my family after the games."

"So confident," Estrella grins. "We all like a bit of optimism."

"Well, I'm not going to win the games if I go in believing that I'm going to die," I say, shrugging. "I didn't volunteer to go to my death."

 **Nyan Donne's POV (District 3 male)**

Nerves flutter through my stomach as I make my way onto stage. This is my opportunity to make the Capitol and all the sponsors like me and I'm going to need sponsors to survive. I smile and wave at the audience as I go. I smile at Estrella as I sit down.

"Hi Nyan," She smiles at me. "That was pretty impressive volunteering. There's not many volunteers from District 3. Why did you volunteer?" My mentor told me that it was better to be genuine in the interview and tell the truth.

"It was for my brother and girlfriend-well fiancée," I tell Estrella. "They mean everything to me and when I knew that the quell was the perfect opportunity. I knew that I had to volunteer so that they could have a better life in the Capitol."

"Fiancée, you're engaged?" Estrella asks and I nod blushing slightly.

"Yes," I reply. "I asked her to marry me before the reaping."

"So you're plan's to win the games with two kills and then you can get back here and get married?" Estrella asks. I nod.

"Yeah," I smile. "Vista is the most beautiful person I know and I would do anything to get her to the Capitol."

"Well she must be one lucky girl to have you," Estrella says. "Now tell us about your brother. What's he like?"

"We're really close," I tell her. "I couldn't imagine life without him. He's normally really quiet but there's no secrets between us. He tells me everything."

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

"Now please put your hands together for Vanisa Tildene, the female tribute from District 7," Estrella introduces as I walk onto the stage. I am careful not to walk too quickly because otherwise I will probably trip over and fall flat on my face in these ridiculous heels. I'd probably end up ripping my dress in the process as well. I make sure I smile as I go to hide my fear. Getting this interview right is important. Sponsors watching could save my life in the arena.

"Hey Estrella," I smile.

"I have to say I was quite impressed with your training score," She tells me. "A six is pretty impressive." I know she's saying it to be nice. A six is only about average.

"Thanks," I smile. I have to remember to keep smiling and complimenting the audience to get sponsors. "It wasn't the highest training score, but higher training scores don't necessarily mean a victory."

"No, of course not," Estrella agrees.

"I'm loving my time in the Capitol though," I say quickly. "It's so different from District 7."

"What's the main difference you've noticed?" Estrella asks.

"Probably the lack of trees," I say after a small pause. "Back in 7, there were so many and since I've got here, I don't think I've seen any."

 **Phytophthora "Phyto" Neilson's POV (District 7 male)**

"What do you think of the quell then?" Estrella asks me. I shrug before answering.

"There's no one that I want to get to the Capitol," I say.

"No one?" Estrella asks, raising her eyebrow. I shake my head.

"Nope, but if I put on a good show, will I be allowed to leave my family behind in District 7?" I ask Estrella. I have this figured out. If I ask in my interview, in front of the whole live audience, then President Hail will be held accountable to whatever the answer is.

"Yes, of course," Estrella tells me. "That situation had already been prepared for in case an orphan or someone like you was reaped. Providing you win the games, which I have no doubt you're capable of, with kills, you can choose to either bring friends to the Capitol or you will be given a money substitute." Estrella explains to me. "With that knowledge can we expect a couple of good fights involving you." I nod, knowing that this will please the audience.

"I may not have family I want to bring with me to the Capitol, but I have got a few friends I wouldn't mind having with me in the Capitol," I tell her.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

"So, Marcus, why did you volunteer?" Estrella asks me after I've taken my seat next to her on the stage. This is where I need to compliment the Capitol. It might win me sponsors.

"I want to live here," I tell her. "Everything about this place seems so much better than home. The food, the architecture, the clothes, even the showers. I knew that it was my opportunity when the quell was announced. I'm an orphan so I have no family to bring here which will make my life easier in the arena." I tell Estrella before quickly adding. "Of course that doesn't mean I'm not willing to kill, but it means that I won't get so desperate to get a kill that I'll do something stupid." Estrella nods. This is a lie. I have no plans on killing. I think that it's better to let as many people as possible get to the Capitol.

Of course, if I get jumped, I will do my best to fend them off, and if that means killing them, so be it. I might get jumped because I'm not that physically strong and I look like an easy target because of the two I get in training. In my individual training session, I deliberately did badly. The 3 I got was no accident. I want the other tributes to forget about me easily, so I can stay under the radar.

"This quell has certainly been a good opportunity for you then," Estrella says. "You're definitely taking advantage of it. What do you hope to do in the Capitol, if, and I have no doubt that you will, get across the arena in the allotted time period?" I pause thinking.

"Well, the first thing I'll want to do is sleep," I say, to add a bit of humour and I do get a couple of laughs from the audience. "I mean, being in the arena is going to be exhausted and I think I'd deserve a nap. But after that? I'll just relax and enjoy the rest of my life."

 **Alphie Rivera's POV (District 10 male)**

"That was quite a performance you put on at the reaping," Estrella laughed. Anger bubbles up inside of me slightly. You get told that you're gonna be put in an arena where everyone's trying to kill each other whilst being broadcast on TV to the nation, then tell me I put on 'quite a performance'. My mentor told me to be prepared for this though.

"I wasn't thinking straight," I say smoothly. "Now I've had time to think it through, I've realised how much of a blessing it really is. Now I just need to get across the arena and then I can live the rest of my life in luxury."

"You sound very confident about that," Estrella tells me. "I love confidence."

"Well you're not going to win if you believe you're gonna die in the bloodbath," I smile. "Besides, no one knows my true abilities which puts me at an advantage."

"Really?" Estrella asks.

"Yeah," I say, lying. I only got a 2 in training and that's because I'm rubbish at the fighting stuff and I'm just planning on running from the cornucopia. I don't want the audience to know that though. It could lose me sponsors. I'm just going to lie, and considering I've been doing it most of my life, it won't be difficult. "I deliberately got a low training score. Now no one knows how good I am and have no idea if they could beat me in a fight so they just won't risk it."

"That's a pretty smart move," Estrella says.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

"And now for Orrick Jamieson, the final volunteer of these games, District 11 male!" Estrella introduces me and I stride onto stage, waving and smiling at the audience as I go. I may loathe the Capitol, but their sponsors could be the difference between life and death. The difference between getting Bloom and Dahlia to the Capitol and not. "So Orrick-" I cut her off though.

"Please, call me Ric," I tell her. "Orrick is so formal."

"Sure, so Ric, I think everyone here would like to know why you volunteered. This year has seen a slight increase in volunteers, do you think it's because of the quell?" I nod.

"That's certainly why I volunteered," I tell her. "My daughter has a disorder that means she has impaired vision. If we had the money, she could have surgery to fix it. I also want her to have a good life, which I can't give her in District 11. I want to get her and my girlfriend, Dahlia to the Capitol."

"You have a daughter?" Estrella asks. "Can you tell us about her?" I nod. I don't want to talk about my family to the whole nation, but it'll certainly earn me some sympathy points with sponsors.

"Her name's Bloom," I begin. "And she means the world to me. She was actually an accident, but when Dahlia, my girlfriend, and I saw her, we knew we had to keep her. She's our happy accident."

 **Maisie Bismark's POV (District 11 female)**

"So Maisie, have you got any hobbies?" Estrella asks me. I nod.

"I like poetry," I tell her, digging my fingers into my palms and reciting poetry to calm myself, but my heart continues to pound. "Would you like me to recite some?" Estrella smiles.

"I think everyone would love to hear you recite poetry," She says, giving me an encouraging smile. I return it before choosing a poem.

"Paper that lets the light  
shine through, this is what could alter things.

Paper thinned by age or touching,

the kind you find in well-used books,  
the back of the Koran, where a hand  
has written in the names and histories,  
who was born to whom,

the height and weight, who  
died where and how, on which sepia date,  
pages smoothed and stroked and turned  
transparent with attention.

If buildings were paper, I might  
feel their drift, see how easily  
they fall away on a sigh, a shift  
in the direction of the wind." I say, as the audience clap loudly. "That wasn't the whole thing." I tell Estrella.

"Well it was wonderful," She tells me. "You're so talented. I wouldn't be able to memorise the first line, let alone all that."

"Thank you," I smile. "It helps me to relax."

"Well I'm sure if you recite poetry in the arena, no one will get bored of you," Estrella tells me. "It certainly sets you apart from the other tributes."


	28. Chapter 28: Pre games

_**This is the last chapter before the bloodbath.**_

 _ **Anna Banana: Think you figured it out, but reviewing is how you gain sponsor points, each review is worth 5 sponsor points and all the lists for sponsor points and how many sponsor points you have is on Lonely Geek's bio.**_

 ** _Rules for sponsoring:_**

 ** _You won't be able to sponsor until day 2 in the arena. If you're a guest leave a review with what you want to sponsor and for who, if you have an account PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with what you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor. If you have anything you want to sponsor that isn't on the list, just PM one of us or leave a review (Anna Banana we just need to work out the prices of the items you want) and we'll add them to the list. Prices for sponsor gifts will go up as the games progress. Think that's everything, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM one of us or just drop a review, and happy sponsoring :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 28**

 **Before the games**

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)  
** I shake my head and try to concentrate on the vent above my bed. My body feels exhausted, but I can't force myself to sleep. I dosed off earlier, but woke, panting, at a nightmare. It doesn't make sense that I'm nervous. Of all the people entering the arena today, I am the most suited for this, most prepared, and most excited.

All my life I've been preparing for this, but now, as the rays of dawn creep over the horizon, I can't help but wish I had one more day. This could very well be the last morning I experience.

No! I can't think like that. The only way the bloodbath could go badly is if any of the other career tributes mess up. Anyway, I'm the best fighter in the arena, so I cannot be beat.

I stretch and roll over to the side of the bed. My feet touch the cement and I cringe at the chill that races up my spine. I shouldn't be this nervous, so I walk to the bathroom and splash water on my face. The water wakes me up and I shake my head to clear it. Feeling reinvigorated, I return to my room and begin to prepare for my big.

 **Aileen Kennedy's POV (District 3 female)**

The cold floor of the bathroom tile cools my burning body. I hunch over again, and a retching sound fills my ears. The small dinner I had last night reappears in the toilet under me. I reach up and wipe the sweat from my forehead. The Avox who found me, at midnight, vomiting into the toilet is still holding back my light brown hair. She pats my back and gives me a sympathetic smile.

I wish I didn't feel so weak and horrible and disgusting. Today is probably the worst day of my entire life, though my misery will probably compound significantly in the arena. Who knows! Maybe I won't even make it through the bloodbath! These thoughts race through my head as I dry heave one last time.

The Avox woman gestures for me to stand up and begins to turn on the shower. I step in, the cool water soothing my skin. This is my final shower for a long time, possibly ever.

I let the water run over me and close my eyes, trying to pretend I'm back at home and Duncan is standing outside the bathroom, yelling at me to hurry up. I slowly open my eyes, not wanting to return to reality and my smile fades as my nerves return. Definitely the worst day of my life.

 **Port Tidello POV (District 4 male)**

"Port. Port!" someone calls. **  
**"Mmhsmmd" I respond, answering through a huge mouthful of blueberry pancakes. **  
**"How are you eating so much!" I pin the speaker as Kaitlin, sitting across the table from me. She stares at me with wide eyes. Her plate is about half eaten.

"I font dow!" I reply. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, before returning to silence.

Hopefully by eating she thinks I'm not nervous. The truth is that I generally eat through my fears. The only reason I was able to consume four pancakes, three eggs, six glasses of juice, four sausages, three pieces of bacon, and two biscuits was out of nerves. At least I'm not likely to go hungry any time soon!

Many of the other career tributes seem to think I'm not very strong. I've tried to show them, but I guess they'll know when I get kills during the bloodbath and they don't. I plan to get to the outskirts of the cornucopia and pick off the weaker tributes from there. I just hope I don't mess up!

 **Kaitlin Gem's POV (District 4 female)**

I pick at my food and sigh as I watch Port continue to stuff his face. At first, I thought he just wasn't nervous, but then I noticed his hand shaking around his fork. Also, he's gripping his fork so hard his knuckles have turned white.

It makes me feel better that I'm not the only nervous one. I'm definitely one of the better tributes, possibly only surpassed by Kellan and Lucina. I think I'm stronger than Gabrielle, but I guess we'll see in the bloodbath today.

I stand and push my chair in. Grabbing my glass of water, I walk back to my room and stare at myself in the mirror. A sleep deprived face stares back and me. Scoffing at my appearance, I hear someone knock on my door.

My Avox servant grabs my hand and leads me down the hallway to the dressing room. I guess this is where it all begins!

 **Cabe Bellscape's POV (District 6 male)**

I arch my back and clench and unclench my fingers. The outfit my dressers put me for the bloodbath is a stretchy nylon one piece. It, according to my stylist, will retain some heat and cold and is waterproof. I am also equipped with boots that have rubber grips on the underside and gloves with grips for climbing.

Once the suit has been adjusted around me, I sit and try to imagine the type of arena I'm about to face. The metal chair feels cold against me as I begin to sweat in fear.  
The waterproof suggests some form of lake, ocean, or deep river, but the climbing gear suggests a forest or mountain. The heat and cold retention could be for a tundra or desert scene. In sum, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

More shivers rush up my spine from nerves and I clench my fingers to dispel them. I really can't mess this up, Electra is back at home, waiting for me to arrive. I finger my token, a small braided bracelet of her hair. I bring it up to my lips and kiss it softly.

"Wish me luck," I whisper.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

 _Deep breath in, deep breath out._

I recite this mantra over and over in my head. It's what my mom used to say whenever I got upset and wouldn't calm down. Those fits were nothing compared to the torrent of emotion I feel now.

Fear, regret, anxiety, hope, loneliness, and helplessness. Fear of the unknown arena I face in just a few short hours. Regret that I didn't savour every moment of my life. Anxiety because I might not ever see another dawn. Hope that I might be able to make it through this horrid day. Loneliness because I sit in a plain white room, my only friend in a similar room, probably reciting poetry. And helplessness at my whole situation. Nothing I do now has any impact on my fate.

I could try to imagine I am the main character in one of the stories Nana used to tell me. According to her, they used to be in real books, but during the Dark Ages they burned all the books. She would pull me to her lap and I would snuggle up and hear all about the adventures of heroes.

I can almost hear her whispering in my ear "Now it's your turn to be a hero. Make me proud!"

 **Clover Wellas' POV (District 9 female)**

The stylists, escorts, and representatives have _finally_ left! It took them forever! I've been barely containing my anger at them. I must at least try to be relatively nice. I know they want me to succeed, but they constantly aggravate me to the point of ripping out my hair. I scoff, thinking about my stylist's reaction if I actually ripped out all my hair. He seemed to think it was my only positive aspect

Well, at least I can finally think straight without one of them looking over my shoulder. The bad thing about thinking is all the thoughts are negative. Honestly, I wish I had a will to survive. At first, I thought I would miss District 9, but so far, I haven't thought twice about it. I do hope Wrenn, my smallest sibling, is getting enough to eat however.

At this point, the only thing keeping me going is the idea that making it out of the arena would prove to everyone that they were wrong about me.

I can picture what mom would say: "Spite is not a good way to live, Clover!"

I would nod my head in pretend agreement, but, as usual, I would think "Better living in anger than dead with anger. At least alive, that anger can be deployed somehow!"  
 **Celica Branston's POV (District 10 female)**

I sit in the waiting room, trying to shake some feeling back into my hands. Suddenly, the screen in front of me flickers on and a woman's face appears.

"Tributes, please step into the transportation tube." She says, completely monotone. I stand slowly and take a deep breath to calm myself. The portion of the tube at the center of the room hisses open and I step towards it. Vaguely I hear the woman repeat the instructions again. Each step I take feels like an eternity. Each step I take increases the shaking of my hands. Each step I take brings me closer to my death.

Somehow, I make it into the tube. The door hisses shut and cuts off the woman's voice as she continues to repeat the instructions. I snap my fingers and the noise echoes upwards until fading into oblivion. I feel the platform under me begin to rise and the waiting room quickly disappears beneath me. I clench my eyes shut, willing myself not to vomit. The platform stops moving and I feel air hit me as the tube disappears with another hiss.

Slowly, I open my eyes.


	29. Chapter 29: The Bloodbath

_**_**Thank you for all your reviews, here's the chapter we've been waiting for. We did not choose who died based upon whether we liked them or not, it was purely based upon their bloodbath strategies, strengths, weaknesses, etc. So if your tribute died, we don't have anything against you so don't hunt us down and kill us or anything.**_**_

 _ ** _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_**_

 _ ** _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_**_

 ** **Chapter 29****

 ** **The Bloodbath****

 ** **Alphie Rivera's POV (District 10 male)****

My heart begins to pound as I turn my head, desperately trying to take my bearings into account. It takes me a few precious seconds to realise that the cornucopia is 15 feet below me. The tube thing that bought me up into the arena took me through the trunk of a huge cedar tree. As I look round, I realise that the cornucopia is surrounded by 24 trees, a tree for each tribute. A gust of wind whips around my head, reminding me, I must remain calm. If I fall off the tree before the 60 seconds are up, I will be blown up.

I am about to turn and see where looks best to run when I spot a large backpack not too far from my tree. It could have some gear to help me survive. I'm sure if I manage to get down from my tree quickly, I can run grab it and disappear out of the copse that the cornucopia is in. Then I can get my bearings and work out what direction I need to run in.

Boom! I quickly start climbing down the tree I'm in. I want to get out of here quickly. I'm not the best climber though so a few people have already reached the cornucopia before I reach the bottom of my tree. I sprint as fast as I can to the backpack I spotted. As I am going towards it, I spot a small knife in my path so I grab that. As I reach the backpack, someone else also reaches it. Someone who is also armed. It's the boy from 7. I am about to run away, trying to avoid a fight when he throws one of the axes at me. All I feel is a sharp pain as it hits the back of my head and I slump forwards.

 ** **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)****

I am the first person to reach the inside of the cornucopia so I get the first pick of weapons. I take a spear and knife and put the knife in my belt. Just as I do, I hear running. Someone's approaching me. I quickly spin around and stab the person in front of me before they can react. It's only as they fall forwards when I yank the spear from their stomach and they cough blood onto my face as I realise what I've done.

"Traitor." She manages to get out before the light fades from her eyes.

I curse my stupidity. I may have just lost my spot in the career pack. It's Kaitlin. "I'm sorry," I whisper to her and quickly move out of the cornucopia, looking around. It doesn't look like any of the other careers saw it. They never have to know. They'll just assume it's someone else who killed her.

 ** **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)****

I spot Port quickly amongst the chaos. We have an agreement to fight together in the bloodbath. There's so much going on that we don't want to be caught up in a kill whilst someone is sneaking up from behind. He's approaching Phytophthora as he yanks an axe out of the head of someone he must've killed.

Port attacks from behind, stabbing him in the back. Phytophthora falls to the ground, still twitching when I reach them. I finish him off with one of the throwing knives I got in a belt from the cornucopia. It hits him in the back of the neck and the twitching stops quickly. Port nods at me as I yank the knife out and he takes his spears. One kill means I can bring at least one family member to the Capitol now.

 ** **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male)****

I spot what looks like a bottle of water so sprint as fast as I can to grab it. I already have a sword in my hand and a pack on my back, but I have no idea if there'll be water in it. I'll just grab that and then run. I am just about to scoop it up when I am shoved over. I look and see it's the boy from District 3. I slash my sword at him but he manages to jump out of the way and then starts a parry of attacks with his machete. I manage to block them though and then twist the machete out of his hand and slice my sword at his chest. He doesn't have time to react and blood seeps out of the wound. He falls to the ground, blood gathers on his chest but I don't hang around for him to die. I have to get out of here. I know that he won't recover from the wound though. It was too deep.

 ** **Celica "Cel" Branston's POV (District 10 female)****

With a weapon in my belt and a sleeping bag and pack on my back, I begin to head away from the fighting. I need to get out of here quickly. I've got a decent amount of supplies. I can find Vanisa once the fighting's all ended. I stumble as a sudden shoot of pain appears in my shoulder. I put my hand on it and to my horror find a knife sticking out. Just before the next knife hits I see Gabrielle, one of the tributes from District 1 grinning at me with another knife in her hand. Then I see a flash of silver and I fall back.

"Cel!" I hear Vanisa scream. Gabrielle has already moved on though, distracted by someone else, luckily for Vanisa. Vanisa runs towards me, she's already got a pack on her back. I don't have much strength left. The pain from the knife sticking out of my chest is draining it all from me. I already know I'm not going to make it.

"T-take it," I whisper to her, flicking my eyes from Vanisa to the knife. "An-and f-finish me o-off so you ge-get the kill, not he-her."

"I'm sorry." Vanisa whispers, clutching the handle of the knife.

"It's okay," I whisper as she yanks the knife out and pulls the knife up to my neck to slit it.

 ** **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)****

I glance around once I have a pair of katanas in my hands. I was slightly slower than I would've liked getting down the tree so some tributes are already gone. I spot Delilah Hester from District 6 picking up what looks like a small tent bag. I race over, my katanas poised to attack, but I stumble over a water bottle I didn't see, giving her time to spot me and run. By the time I have got back up she is running as fast as she can. I run and try to catch up but it's no use. In desperation I swing one of the katanas and it catches her hand, cutting it, but it doesn't slow her and she reaches the treeline. I don't want to pursue her and risk losing out on other kills.

I turn and see someone else trying to escape. Delilah's district partner as it happens. Cabe. He is armed with a short sword, but he only got a 4 in training so he can't be that great at fighting. I swing my katana at him but he blocks the blow. He tries to run away, but I'm faster and stab him in the back so he slumps onto his front on the floor. I yank my katana out and turn around for my next victim.

 ** **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)****

Smiling as I spot my next victim near the treeline I run over, my spear raised to attack. It's Andre Stitch from District 8. He glances back at the cornucopia and sees me running. He must be paralysed with fear though because he doesn't even attempt to run. I see Kellan behind me, ready to back me up if need be. I won't though.

"Please don't," He begs but I ignore him. This is what I've been training for. His pleas fall on deaf ears as I stab him in the stomach and pull the spear out again in one swift movement. I turn to find another tribute and find Kellan already fighting one. Greyson from 12. I reach them as Greyson stabs at Kellan with a trident. Kellan sees me and is distracted and doesn't have time to avoid it and his leg takes the blow. I quickly shove Greyson over. Kellan winces, taking the trident out of his leg before stabbing Greyson in the chest with it.

 ** **Clover Wellas' POV (District 9 female)****

I didn't mean to get this caught up in the cornucopia. I had to run to avoid one of the careers but I wasn't paying attention to where I was running and I ended up inside the cornucopia. I need to pick my time to escape carefully. I've managed to get some good supplies but I need to escape now. I wait until I see an opening when it seems everyone is busy and make a dash for the trees. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a movement though. An arrow flies in front of me. I stumble in front and I spot another arrow flying at me. The last thought I can form before everything goes black is that this time the arrow didn't miss.

 ** **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)****

After getting a direct hit on the District 9 girl's head, I turn for anymore tributes. It looks like the fighting's over now though. Then I spot a movement out of the corner of my eye. It's someone climbing down a tree. They must have thought that waiting until the fighting was done would make them safer. I aim and shoot them down from their tree without hesitation. I walk over to see who it I've killed and pull the arrow out of their back as the canons begin. It's Aileen from District 3 that I've killed. There are 10 canon shots. That means there are only 14 of us left in the arena.

 _ **Deaths:**_

 _ **24th - Alphie Rivera (D10M) - Killed by D7M**_

 _ **23rd - Kaitlin Gem (D4F) - Killed by D2F**_

 ** _22nd -_** _ **Phytophthora Neilson (D7M) - Killed by D1M**_

 _ **21st - Nyan Donne (D3M) - Killed by D5M**_

 _ **20th - Celica Branston (D10F) - Killed by D7F**_

 _ **19th - Cabe Bellscape (D6M) - Killed by D2M**_

 _ **18th - Andre Stitch (D8M) - Killed by D4M**_

 _ **17th - Greyson Rennoll (D12M) - Killed by D1M**_

 _ **16th - Clover Wellas (D9F) - Killed by D1F**_

 _ **15th - Aileen Kennedy (D3F) - Killed by D1F**_


	30. Chapter 30: Day 1 in the arena

_**Okay, so you guys can sponsor now, so here are the rules:**_

 ** _PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 30**

 **Day 1 in the arena**

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female)**

As soon as the last cannon signalling the end of the bloodbath goes, the ground beneath my feet begins to shake. In fear I begin to run, not really sure of where I'm going. "Maisie!" I look up just in time to see Delilah in a tree, then the world around us shifts and the tree Delilah is in disappears and she falls down. I don't have time to run before she lands on top of me.

I am knocked to the floor, by the time we untangle ourselves, the world around us has completely changed. Where we were standing in a normal forest, we are now standing in a jungle. "You okay?" Delilah asks, helping me up.

"Yeah," I reply. "What's happened?"

"I think they're changing the arena to confuse us," She replies, looking around. I look up at the treetops and then through the leafy trees spot it.

"Look," I point. "It's an arrow in the sky."

"That must be the way out of the arena," Delilah grins, grabbing my hands. "Come on, the careers are probably close." We begin to jog through the trees.

"I didn't get anything," I tell her. "Did you?" She nods, taking a short knife out of her belt.

"This, a pack and a tent," She tells me. "I was sorting through it when I saw you."

"Anything useful?" I ask her. We agreed before we got into the arena if one of us didn't get anything from the bloodbath, the other would share whatever they got.

"Some purification tablets, matches and a pack of breadsticks," She tells me.

"Hey, you're bleeding," I say, realising there is blood dripping from her hand.

"One of the careers nearly got me," She shrugs. "We need find water, I can clean it then." I spot some moss on a nearby tree.

"Here," I say, ripping it off. "That should stop the bleeding."

"Thanks," She smiles, taking it.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

I'm not sure how long I've been running for now, but I need to stop and rest. I lean against a tree and breathe heavily. The sun's high up in the sky so it must be around midday, maybe a bit later. As soon as I was down from my tree I ran and haven't stopped. I spotted the arrow in the sky from my tree at the beginning and I worked out this was the direction to run in.

The change of arena slowed me slightly, but I soon picked up my pace again. I must've put a reasonable amount of distance between me and everyone else. I haven't come across any water source yet, which could be an issue because I've sweated a lot since entering the arena. I can cope a little longer, but judging by the sky, it's not going to rain anytime soon.

There's not really a lot I can do about my lack of water though. I have to keep heading in the direction of the arrow. There will have to be water at some point or we'll all die of dehydration. I just need to make sure I keep an eye out for it. I take one last deep breath before continuing on running.

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

"What I'd like to know is who killed Kaitlin," Gabrielle says as we finish off sorting our packs. We won't be able to come back to cornucopia so we have to be sensible. My heart misses a bit as I realise what Gabrielle has said. It was me that killed Kaitlin, but it was an accident. I'm not going to say anything though. I don't want the other careers to start turning on me. At least it means I can bring one family member with me to the Capitol.

"It was probably that boy, what's his name, the one from 5," Kellan suggests and I nod, hoping that it will stop the other careers being too suspicious about it.

"Yeah, she did only get a 7 in training," I add. The others seem to accept this and just shrug.

"We shouldn't stay here too much longer," Darius says, changing the subject. "I want to get off before it gets dark. If we're gonna make it across the arena and kill off the other tributes, we need to move quickly."

"Only take essentials," Port adds. "A small food and water supply, we can hunt for food and find water sources as we go, we'll need tents and weapons though." I check my pack one last time to make sure I haven't missed anything. I realise I don't have a torch and quickly grab one with some batteries and slip them into my pocket. I think I'm ready.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

I take the lid off of a tin of macaroni cheese and begin to eat it as the sun fades. There's only 14 of us left in the arena and I'm determined to get a kill in before I reach the end. I need to get my dad to the Capitol with me.

I've done well so far. I ran and hid in a tree until the bloodbath was over and then watched until the careers left the cornucopia before sneaking in and getting supplies. I've now got a pack filled with supplies and, though I don't want to use them, a couple of spears so that I can defend myself. I didn't manage to move very far today, but I'm well fed and have lots of water. Hopefully with my tent, I'll be able to get a lot of rest and be ready to start moving properly tomorrow. Until my food and water supply start to deplete, I only have to stop to rest so I may as well get as far through the arena as possible.

When the can is empty, I toss it behind the tree I'm sitting again and then begin to get my tent out. Once it's up, I gather a few large leaves that seem to be abundance in this jungle and camouflage my tent with them. Hopefully in the dark, it'll just look like a bush or something if someone sees it. I pull my pack into the tent when I crawl in and sort through my things so that I am ready to leave at a moment's notice if necessary.


	31. Chapter 31: Day 2 in the arena

**_We're so sorry about the really late update, we had some miscommunication, but we tried to finish it as quickly as possible. We're not sure when the next update is going to be, but we'll try to have it out soon._**

 ** _Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 31**

 **Day 2 in the arena**

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 Female)  
** After escaping the cornucopia with Maisie, we continued following the sky-arrow for several hours more. The arena didn't change again, so perhaps it was a one-time occurrence to confuse us immediately after the bloodbath.

We decided to set up the tent when we began to not be able to see due to the thick foliage. It took us a few minutes to figure out how the tent was supposed to work, but eventually we managed to get it up. Thankfully, we were both small so we managed to fit inside the tent. Maisie's cut had scabbed over, but I re-wrapped it with more moss. We each ate half of a bread stick and fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night once, when Maisie unconsciously snuggled closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her and fell asleep again.

Early the following morning, I woke to Maisie mumbling "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda in her sleep. I smiled and tried to detach myself from her without waking her. She rolled over and opened her eyes slowly.

After a small breakfast of bread sticks, we packed up the tent and headed towards the arrow.

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 Female)**

It's been two days since I murdered my only ally in this insane madness. I know it was for the better and that she asked me too, but I can't get the image of her laying on the ground and the feeling of my arm raising to slit her neck. The misery and panic as the last light left her eyes.

I killed her and ran from the Cornucopia as fast as I could. Before I noticed Cel in trouble, I had already grabbed a small pack and a knife that were lying near my tree. When the arena shifted to a jungle, I lost my footing and fell, but luckily, I caught myself and continue forward in the direction of the sky-arrow. I found a small alcove between a small swamp and a cypress tree.

Arriving there, I decided to check my backpack for supplies. It contained three cans of chicken-tasting mush, a blanket, 15 metres of rope, 8 water purification tablets, and a small bottle of sunblock. The first night in the arena I ate one container of chicken-mush, purified a large leaf-full of water, and wrapped up under the blanket.

Now, as the sunlight finally made it to the jungle floor, I packed up my pack and set off in the direction of the arrow, using my knife to cut through foliage as necessary. The first few minutes of travel were okay, but without anything to distract me, my thoughts soon wandered back to Cel. She never deserved any of this! How could I betray her. I didn't even try to save her. Perhaps if I hadn't wasted time grabbing the pack, I could have saved her. You abominable human being. How could you!

I shake my head to clear it and pause, hoping the noise I heard was just my own heart beating rather than the footsteps I think it is.

 **Vicuna Addens' POV(District 8 Female)  
** I decided not to stay hiding for the first portion of the games, so I stayed close to the cornucopia after the bloodbath. Because I was planning on staying at the cornucopia, I didn't try to grab supplies, I just took to the forest surrounding the cornucopia. I didn't want any unnecessary risk of death. Everyone scattered almost immediately. I was very confused when I saw Lucina kill Kaitlin; I thought they were allies. The Career tributes stuck around for a while, but eventually they each took a pack and left, following the arrow.

At that point, I almost began to search the cornucopia, but jumped back when I saw the District 5 Female, Lita or something like that, sneak into the cornucopia. She spent just over an hour poking around before she too left. Finally, it appeared that everyone had left the area. **  
**I ran quickly to the cornucopia and began to search through the stuff. It immediately became obvious what had been taken and what hadn't been touched. The weapons section was a mess, and the more specialized weapons have already been removed. In addition, it looks like the District 5 Female grabbed the spears and some food stuffs that were in it.

I eventually decided to just spend the night in the cornucopia and sort through the stuff in the morning. I grabbed a sleeping bag, pillow, and two extra blankets and snuggled up, surrounded by mountains of supplies.

The following morning, I separated the supplies into five piles: Weapons, food/water, medicine, sleep materials, and miscellaneous. I then grabbed the largest backpack I could find and put a tent, sleeping bag, blanket, medicine, bandages, four full water bottles, water purification tablets, and a coil of rope.

With a large knife in hand, I am now surveying the surrounding area for a place to stash extra supplies and to spend the night. Hopefully, the area is deserted because I don't think I would be able to fight anyone if they were here.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

My body fills with relief as I spot what I have been searching for since the bloodbath: a source of water. Ahead of me there is a small pond. The water looks rank, completely black, but I have 5 purification tablets that I got from the bloodbath. It was one of the only things I managed to get from the bloodbath. As well as the tablets I managed to get a mace, a small pack of crackers and an empty water bottle.

I haven't opened the crackers yet, I've been surviving off nuts and berries that I've been finding. I'm pretty sick of them, but I don't want to open the crackers until I have to. They're my only solid food source and I want to save them in case I get injured and can't get to a food source.

I fill my bottle with the disgusting looking water before adding a purification tablet. I have to wait a while before I can drink it, but it's getting close to sunset so I want to set up camp. I can start a fire to purify some more water when it has got darker. Hopefully, the trees will hide the light produced by it and it means I won't have to use another purification tablet. When the allowed time for purification is up, I begin to drink the water slowly. I don't want to down it all in one, despite my instinct to, I haven't drunk since the bloodbath and my lips are parched but I don't think it's healthy to. I know that drinking too much water after not drinking for a while, can be fatal. I'd look like a complete idiot. I'd go down in history as the only tribute who died from drinking too much water.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

As the sun begins to set, I start searching for a tree with nuts that I've been eating all day, not bothering to watch the sky when it lights up and the Capitol fanfare plays. There haven't been any canon shots today. I don't want to get too comfortable though. The Capitol may have been content with the deaths in the bloodbath, but that won't hold them for long. If it gets too boring the game makers will begin to unleash mutts to make things more exciting. Or terrifying, depending on your point of view.

I soon find a tree and strip it of it's nuts. They're my only source of food since I didn't manage to get anything from the bloodbath, but I managed to escape with my life, which is more than can be said for 10 of the tributes. Once I've gathered the nuts, I find a tree to climb and settle up in one of the higher branches. I'm lucky that I'm skinny because I can climb up high so I'm less likely to be spotted.

After I've finished my small meal of nuts, I settle down to sleep. I need to get as much rest as I can. I need to try travel as much distance as I possibly can tomorrow.


	32. Chapter 32: Day 3 in the arena

**_Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you._**

 ** _Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 32**

 **Day 3 in the arena**

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

"Pass me some water," I say to Lucina, while wiping sweat off my forehead. It's pretty hot trekking through this jungle, but we've found a stream to follow so we have plenty of water. Water was one of the things that we were most worried about as we couldn't bring all the water from the cornucopia. For now though, that issue's solved because of the stream. It follows the direction of the sky arrow so we can follow it for now and purify it with a fire or tablets. It's also a good idea to follow it along because other tributes are likely to be following it so they have a water source.

Lucina passes me a half full bottle of water and I unscrew the lid and take a large swig. It's slightly warm, but it's still good after several hours of traipsing through the jungle. It's halfway through day three and there still haven't been any deaths since the bloodbath. I'm hoping that the game makers are going to drive us close to some other tributes soon. I want to get more kills. I only got one kill in the bloodbath, and that's not enough to get my whole family to the Capitol with me.

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

I wake up rolling over onto my injured arm. I gasp slightly in pain, clutching at the wound. It has scabbed over now and looks clean so it's not going to kill me, but it's still slightly painful. I was attacked by a mutt yesterday.

A giant monkey creature leapt out of the trees in front of me. I managed to kill it with my knife, but not before it took a bite into my arm. I could tell that it was just the game makers toying with me though because it wasn't that hard to kill, it just took me by surprise. Once it was dead, I cleaned the wound up and then started to examine the body.

The meat on it looked edible so I cut it up into smaller chunks and cooked it over a fire, careful to make sure that not too much smoke was produced. The meat tasted kind of weird, but food's food and I have to eat somehow. I didn't get much food from the cornucopia and I already ate one of the tins I got.

I eat a couple of pieces of meat before I pack my few things up and start walking on again, following the direction of the arrow in the sky. I have my knife out in my hand, determined not to be caught off guard by a mutt again.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

I'm taking a break, leaning against a tree trunk, after having walked all day, when a beeping noise disturbs all the usual noises of the jungle. I look up and to my surprise a sponsor gift is floating down. My eyes widen as I leap up in excitement. Someone's sponsored me! As a girl from 12, I wasn't expecting anyone to really be paying attention to me. I must have at least someone rooting for me though.

I undo the gift and there's a note which I read quickly.

 _Zable,_

 _Just keep putting one foot in front of the other_

 _~T_

I put the note in my pocket and see what I've been sponsored. To my delight I find a blow dart with ten darts. That will come in handy, if I'm attacked I can defend myself and I now have another source of food other than plants. I can hunt for animals and eat the meat. I just need to be careful that I don't lose any of the darts.

To my surprise and excitement, the blow dart isn't the only thing in my sponsor gift; there's also a small bag filled with a packet of noodles, a packet of rice and a small tin of stew. I grin happily at the sight of something other than nuts. None of the packets are very large, but if I have nuts with them, they should make a meal each.

"Thank you," I say, wanting to show my appreciation in case others are now considering sponsoring me. I decide to crack the pack of noodles open now. I'll save the rice and stew for later on in the games.

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

"I'll start on the fire," I offer, beginning to look around for dry wood. We've discovered that it takes a while to get a fire going in here because the air is so humid, but we need to get one going to cook some meat. Gabrielle and Kellan split off from us for about an hour so that they could go hunting. They brought back a bird and a couple of large rodents. We're going to cook it all now, but only eat the rodents along with some bread rolls that we got from the cornucopia. The bird we'll save for breakfast.

Despite only being in the arena for three days, we've fallen into a routine pretty easily. We wake up, eat breakfast swiftly before moving on. We walk for most of the day, only stopping for short rests to replenish water or eat, then a couple of us split off to hunt for food for dinner and then we start a fire eat, and sleep.

Normally careers go tribute hunting during the night, but we soon discovered it was a bad idea because we couldn't see the arrow in the sky at night, so there's no point in killing loads of people if we don't get to the end in time because we keep walking round in circles.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 Female)**

Its official. The silence of the jungle at night is creeping me out. I'm so used to the nightly hum of the power plants of district 5 that the relative silence of the jungle is total. I can barely sleep without background noise. Even in the capitol you could hear the slight noise of the capitolites dancing at the club.

For this reason, I've had less sleep in the last few days than ever before, with the exception of the days after mom died. One positive thing is I have a tent so that's making it slightly better.

Other than my lack of sleep, the arena life has settled into a fairly consistent rhythm, but I'm not relaxing yet. I still have 18 days, 1 kill, and however many kilometers (or miles) left.

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 Female)**

Thankfully, halfway through day 2 Delilah and I found a small stream and we were able to purify some water. Prior to that things had been not looking very good for us and our parched throats. We were very happy but also very wary of other tributes when we approached the stream, but it seemed vacant. The stream is running in the same direction as the arrow is pointing, so we walked alongside it, about 40 feet away from the edge of the water, so as not to attract attention should any other tributes be in the area.

As we stopped for a short rest break, a incessant beeping noise caught my attention. A white parachute dropped into Delilah's lap.

The note on top read "I hope you won't need this for anything other than food. Good luck!"

A bit confused, she tore open the package to reveal a small hunting knife. I feel a shudder run through me at the sight of a weapon, but realize it will be useful for food gathering.  
Delilah seems relieved, but wary, like I am. I definitely agree with whoever wrote that note.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 Male)**

I really miss my girlfriend, Addy, and Bloom, my daughter. I hope they are holding up okay. I had enough money saved to last about a week, but I hope Addy found a job. So far, everything is going according to plan and I have made good progress in the direction of the arrow.

As dusk begins to approach, I forage for nuts and berries, finding a few that I recognize and scooping them up quickly. I hear a beeping noise puncture the otherwise-relatively-quiet air.  
A white parachute with a package drops to the ground a few feet away. I rush towards it and unhook the parachute. A note falls off and I open it to read two short words: Eat up!

The package contains a small thermos of potato soup and two packets of dried apple slices. I know the cameras will be showing me receiving this, so I look up and say "Thank you and I send my love to Addy and Bloom!"


	33. Chapter 33: Day 4 in the arena

**_We hope you enjoy, please let us know what you think, we love hearing from you guys :)_**

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 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 33**

 **Day 4 in the arena**

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male)**

Frustrated, I slash the vine in front of me. I was hoping to have got another kill in by now. I only got one in the bloodbath and that's not enough to get my family to the Capitol. I'm hoping that I can find a stream or river, or some sort of water source to follow so that I'm more likely to find another tribute. So far I've only been able to find small ponds though.

A loud rustling sound from the tree above me has me immediately alert, my sword held defensively, ready to fight at any second. A few moments later, a small bird flies out of the leaves. I quickly take a throwing knife out of my belt and throw it, killing it instantly. I smile as I pick the bird up, and take the knife out. I was lucky to get a throwing knife from my pack in the bloodbath.

I'm going to eat well tonight. It might also mean that sponsors are keeping their eyes on me. If I can find myself food and kill it effectively, it shows I can kill as well. I decide it's about time to rest now anyway so I set about plucking the bird. It's not a very pleasant job, but food's hard to come by in the arena so I'm not complaining. I can tell that after only four days in the arena, I am already beginning to lose weight, so I have to eat at every opportunity that I get.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

I slow to a stop when I spot a cluster of nuts that I have been living off since entering the arena. I just ran from the cornucopia so I didn't get any supplies, so I stop to eat at every opportunity I get. I'm exhausted. I've only been stopping to sleep as little as possible and most of the time when I'm not sleeping, I've been running.

I must be way further ahead than everyone else by now. I'm used to running a lot so all this running isn't too hard on me. Obviously, I am running a lot more than I used to back at home in District 9, but I've got a lot of physical endurance.

I do need to be careful though because if I get too boring, the game makers might send a mutt after me and I'd have no way to defend myself. I'd just have to run, and everyone knows you can't outrun the mutts the game makers send at you for long. Hopefully I can make it to the end of the arena before they send a mutt though. That's the advantage of running, I'll be way quicker than everyone else.

 **Vicuna Tildene's POV**

Yesterday I found a small clearing a little way away from the cornucopia and I've been staying there for the time being. I do, however want to test my ability to hunt for when I set off without the entire cornucopia of stuff with me. During the training sessions I only showed and practiced survival skills, so I have no experience with weapons of any kind, but how hard can it be? I mean it should be similar to cutting fabric, except its skin and muscle tissue. Eww I don't even want to think about that. Gross.

I decide to go on a brief trial-run to see if I have any ability to hunt. I cover up all my supplies with grass and dirt before surveying the weapon spread. After a few moments of consideration, I decide that the easiest weapon to use would probably be the knife or the slingshot. I grab those and begin to pace around the cornucopia.

Eventually, I realize that the animals seem scared of the huge structure, so I begin to walk in the forest, searching. After about 30 minutes, I spot a small rabbit and begin to approach. Unfortunately, my feet crunch loudly, and the rabbit scurries off before I can get within 10 meters.

Suddenly, I feel my arms pulled back behind me and my knife yanked from my hand. I whip my head around and see the career tributes, weapons in hand, staring at me.

One of them, Gabrielle I think her name is, begins to remove a large knife to end my life. Terror consumes me, and I remain still, petrified, as her knife lowers towards my chest. "Stop!"

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV**

A hand grabs mine and pulls it out of the way. Kellan. "It should be my kill! I need it more than you!" he exclaims.

"I found her though!" I retort, now frustrated. I see Vicuna cower down and try to scramble away unnoticed. "You! Stop moving or you'll die even more painfully!" I shout at her and she freezes. I'm turning my attention back to Kellan when I hear her voice shaking out a few words.

"Please don't kill me!" she pleads, "I can help you!"

Kellan gives her a filthy glare, "We don't need your help, I need your kill." I roll my eyes at him and reach for my knife again.

"Wait! I can tell you who killed Kaitlin!" I freeze. That could actually be useful information. If anything, at least we'll know who to target and be merciless on when we find them. I glance over at Kellan and see him thinking through the same thing. If we spare her, he won't get the kill, but we can just follow her tracks and kill her later. If we kill her now, we might never know who killed our fellow career.

Kellan narrows his eyes, still ready to pounce if necessary. "Fine. Tell us and we'll consider letting you go for now."

"Just warning you, you might not like the answer" she hesitates.

"Are you gonna tell us or not?" I hiss.

"Lucina."

 **Lucina Aquila's POV**

As soon as those words left her mouth, I knew I was dead. When she initially said she knew who had killed Kaitlin I gasped, but none of the other career tributes seemed to notice. I started to back away, but Port gave me a weird look, so I stopped again, my hands sweating.

They all turn and stare at me. "Lucina?" Gabrielle asked, her eyes flashing with anger. I know there's no way to talk my way out of me, so I turn and run. I just keep running. One foot in front of the other, but I can hear the shouts of the rest of the careers behind me.

"Stop traitor!" One of them yells, but I carry on running, in hopes of escaping them.


	34. Chapter 34: Day 5 in the arena

**_Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys :)_**

 ** _Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

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 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 34**

 **Day 4 in the arena**

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female)**

As soon as those words leave my mouth, Lucina takes off running in the opposite direction. I hear Gabrielle, Kellan, and Port exclaim and begin to chase after her. Darius hesitates leaving me for a few minutes and then thinks better of it and sprints after his companions.

Glancing around quickly, I realize now may be my only opportunity to escape. I certainly wouldn't want to wait around for them to return to kill me. The career tributes accidentally left some of their stuff in their attempt to capture Lucina quickly. Two packs filled with supplies now sit at my disposal, should I feel the need to take them.

I lift one, the pack Gabrielle had on her back, and nearly fall over from the weight of it. I try the other bag and it weighs even more. Not knowing how much time I have, I quickly dump the contents of the first bag onto the ground. A sleeping bag, blanket, lots of food and rope, spare weapons, and several canteens of water fall out. I grab the now-empty bag and begin to refill it with everything except the weapons and half the food and water. Lastly, I snatch my fallen slingshot and knife from the ground and place them in the bag. With the now considerably lighter bag, I run away from the clearing and into the jungle.

 **Lucina Aquila's POV (District 2 female)**

I sprint away from the clearing and the other now-infuriated careers. Initially, I don't hear their footsteps and I wonder if perhaps they aren't going to chase me after all. However no sooner has that thought crossed my mind then I hear the pounding feet of Kellan and Port. I don't hear Gabrielle and Darius, but I decide they probably stayed back to guard Vicuna.

At least that means I only have two careers after me. I glance back and suddenly an arrow goes whizzing past my forehead, right where I was about to step. There's only one career that can shoot that well: Gabrielle. I freeze, but then jerk my body back in motion as a second arrow flies by, mere centimeters from my neck. The footsteps get louder and louder and I feel as though they are closing in around me. A third arrow pierces my side and I feel a rush of pain as I double over, trying to pull it out and holding the wound.

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 female)**

I catch up to them as I see Lucina fall to the ground, clutching her side. Kellan pauses, seeing that the chase has come to an end. Gabrielle hurries close a few seconds later. Port, who had been circling around to cut her off, backtracks to where we are.

In the moment, I realize I still need two kills and Lucina isn't dead yet. I rush up to her and slit her throat. The cannon goes off and I heave a sigh of relief, trying to catch my breath. Gabrielle's eyes widen as she realizes what I've done.

"You little-!" She shrieks, starting towards me.

I rush backwards and suddenly the world flips again. I feel the air temperature drop as the disorienting feeling of the arena changing again. As suddenly as it began, it stops and I realize the humidity of the jungle has disappeared, leaving the cold, dry air of a tundra.

Port rushes in between us, looking more flustered than surprised. Maybe he somehow knew the arena was going to change. He seems to be the only one not disoriented.

"MOVE!" Gabrielle demands, trying to shove Port out of the way, but he remains unmoving. "Lucina was my kill! I deserve to get the credit not that idiot!" She shouts again, gesturing to me. **  
**Kellan looks uncomfortable and suddenly finds something very interesting about the frozen soil, kicking the ground and creating a small pile of icy soil.

"Calm down Gabrielle," Port soothes "We can't afford another career loss." Gabrielle shakes her head and whirls around, letting out a huff of frustration.

Kellan finally intervenes, "Come on guys, we have to gather out stuff before someone takes it." He gestures around at all four of us standing there and shakes his head, "I guess this means Vicuna escaped?"

 **Day 5 in the arena**

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

I try to ignore the wind biting my face as I run quickly to where I know that Maisie is hiding behind a pile of snow. We've decided to put the knife to good use and hunt. I drew out what we think is an Arctic Fox and as I'm the fastest, I've chased it to where Maisie is lying in wait.

"Now!" I yell, skidding in the snow as the fox sprints past Maisie who leaps out and stabs it. Blood leaks out, pouring out onto the white snow and she stands in shock, staring at the dying fox which has fallen at her feet.

We were both surprised when the arena changed to a tundra yesterday, but it's provided us with different food now, if we can continue to hunt like we just have. I scramble up and walk to Maisie. "Well done." I say as she bends down to take the knife out.

"We'll eat well today," She agrees, looking shocked at the amount of blood flowing out of the fox. I hear her mutter a poem to herself under her breath, but the wind is howling too loudly for me to make out what she's saying.

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

Shivering, I continue walking through the snow around me. Just after the canon shot fired yesterday, the arena changed from the jungle to a tundra. I had never been more grateful of my blanket than last night. Still, even with my blanket I spent most of the night shivering, but it's better than nothing. It seems like the arena's changing whenever someone dies. It sounds horrible, but I really hope someone dies soon, or I might die from the cold.

It was Lucina, the District 2 female, that died yesterday. I wonder who it was that killed her. Maybe a mutt because she got the joint highest training score. The career pack has now depleted from 6 to 4 now since the games. I suppose it's a good thing for me. I wish I had an ally though. I still feel guilty about killing Cel. She was my ally. I keep trying to rationalise it to ease the guilt. She told me to finish her. She was going to die anyway. It only eases the guilt a little.

 _ **Deaths:**_

 _ **24**_ _ **th**_ ** _\- Alphie Rivera (D10M) - Killed by D7M_**

 _ **23**_ ** _rd_** _ **\- Kaitlin Gem (D4F) - Killed by D2F**_

 _ **22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **\- Phytophthora Neilson (D7M) - Killed by D1M**_

 _ **21**_ _ **st**_ ** _\- Nyan Donne (D3M) - Killed by D5M_**

 ** _20_** ** _th_** ** _\- Celica Branston (D10F) - Killed by D7F_**

 ** _19_** ** _th_** _ **\- Cabe Bellscape (D6M) - Killed by D2M**_

 ** _18_** ** _th_** _ **\- Andre Stitch (D8M) - Killed by D4M**_

 _ **17**_ _ **th**_ _ **\- Greyson Rennoll (D12M) - Killed by D1M**_

 _ **16**_ ** _th_** _ **\- Clover Wellas (D9F) - Killed by D1F**_

 _ **15**_ ** _th_** ** _\- Aileen Kennedy (D3F) - Killed by D1F_**

 _ **14**_ _ **th**_ ** _–_** ** _Lucina Aquila (D2F – Killed by D2M_**


	35. Chapter 35: Day 6 in the arena

**_Thank you for all your reviews, we love hearing from you guys :)_**

 ** _Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 35**

 **Day 6 in the arena**

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

I finally relent and open up the packet of crackers. Yesterday all I ate were berries I had when the arena changed, but now the crackers are my only food source. Despite my urge to shove as many crackers down my throat as quickly as possible, I restrain myself, only allowing myself two. I nibble slowly as I walk. I need to make them last. My only hope of not dying of starvation is for someone to die and the arena changing.

I keep on walking, on and on an on, my only guide the arrow in the sky. The only thing that keeps me going through the cold and hunger is the thought of Bloom. I can almost picture her grey eyes and her soft laugh. And Addy. I can just picture Addy coaxing Bloom into eating something. She's a really picky eater. Maybe if I can get a kill to bring her to the Capitol, she'd get less funny. The food there's good. It's the thought of giving Addy and Bloom a better life that keeps me going. I have to do it, for them.

I stumble over some small shrub that is the only plant that can grow in this cold hell. It takes all my strength to pick myself and carry on. That's how I'm going to get through this. Step by step. Step by step. Step by step.

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female)**

Shivering, I lay next to Delilah's icy cold body. Even if our tent wasn't so small that we have to lie squished to each other, we would do it anyway now, to preserve body heat. As soon as I'm next to her, she wraps her arms around me.

"Do you want a poem to go to sleep to?" I ask her. It's become a kind of a tradition between us. Before we go to sleep we lay next to each other and I recite a poem. It's kind of comforting.

"Yes," Delilah whispers. "Please." I pause for a moment trying to think of one.

"When you startle awake in the dark morning  
heart pounding breathing fast  
sitting bolt upright staring into  
dark whirlpool black hole  
feeling its suction

Get out of bed  
knock at the door of your nearest friend  
ask to lie down ask to be held

Listen while whispered words  
turn the hole into deep night sky  
stars close together  
winter moon rising over white fields  
nearby wren rustling dry leaves  
distant owl echoing  
two people walking up the road laughing

Let your soul laugh  
let your heart sigh out  
that long held breath so hollow in your stomach  
so swollen in your throat

Already light is returning pairs of wings  
lift softly off your eyelids one by one  
each feathered edge clearer between you  
and the pearl veil of day

You have nothing to do but live." It seemed like an appropriate one for our situation. I just hope we will live through these games.

"Thanks," Delilah whispers after a pause. "Goodnight Maisie."

"Goodnight Delilah," I reply, and as I begin to dose off I feel almost safe. Well as safe as I can feel while freezing in the middle of night in the hunger games.

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

I keep on walking, even through the night. I'll try and rest in the morning. I can't stop moving now. I'm petrified that the temperature will drop so much at night that if I don't keep moving, then I'll die. It's too risky to sleep at night, not until the arena changes again. Of course sleeping in the day has its risks too. If someone sees me while they're making their way across the arena, I'm likely to be dead. I just have to hope that it doesn't happen though. I'm quite a light sleeper, so I'd like to think that I'd wake up if there was someone nearby and depending on whether I could get a clear shot with my blow dart, I'd either kill them, or run like hell.

I look up at the sky. It looks like a full moon and the sky is clear so that I can see the small pinpricks of light from far off stars. It'd be quite beautiful; if it weren't for the fact that it's so cold that I can see my breath and I've got hardly any food left. I just hope someone else is killed by this terrain quicker than me. Or maybe the person who sponsored me before will take pity on me again and sponsor me some more food, or perhaps a sleeping bag. Anything that could save me. I'd take anything at this point.

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

The tension in our group rises with each degree that the temperature in this new arena drops. "The girl from 8 got away!" Gabrielle huffed, "Wasn't someone supposed to stay with her?" at these words she glares menacingly at Darius.

"Gabrielle, you have to calm down" Port tries to mollify her, "We were focused on catching Lucina, and we did."

"Only for that COW to steal the kill from me!" She shrieks, points at Darius, and kicks a shrub. We'd headed back to the place we left our bags, a bit confused because the arena spun and all the landmarks we noticed on the chase after Lucina were gone. Eventually we stumbled across the bags where we left them. It became immediately obvious that Vicuna had dug through our bags. Thankfully, she didn't see a need to take the weapons, but lots of the food and some other minor supplies were gone.

Darius and I leave Port to the task of calming Gabrielle while we sort through the bags and re-arrange the supplies. Our food supply has been reduced considerably, but we still have enough for a few days. Hopefully the arena changes soon or we find some animals in this desolate tundra.  
If this mood and temperature persists, our group might break much sooner than necessary.

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

Gabrielle seriously needs to have as much chill as this weather. We can't afford more deaths. Our strength is in numbers and we're already two very strong tributes down. Darius and Kellan are no help, so I'm left to try to mollify her on my own. At this point, it seems like I'm the only one who still wants to keep our pack together. I really hope Gabrielle doesn't become one of those insane tributes who never recover from the arena. That would be nearly impossible to deal with. I'm on the brink of ripping out my hair.

At least we're better off than most tributes in terms of keeping warm and having enough food to last a few days. After that, who knows what'll happen because I haven't seen any signs of life except these small shrubs Gabrielle seems so fond of kicking. Darius sets a small fire and we all huddle around it. The nights in a tundra seem so much longer than the nights in the jungle were. I heat up some water and pour it into the packet of mush for dinner. The sun already set three hours ago, but we don't care because we hardly sleep anyway.

"We should probably adjust our overnight watch schedule now that Lucina isn't here anymore," I recommend.

"Good idea!" Kellan speaks for the first time in a while. "I can take first shift."

"Great" I respond. I've become the default leader since the 'incident'. It used to be Gabrielle and Kellan, but now they are barely speaking, so I've been coordinating our march in the direction of the arrow. That's the one consistent thing about the arena; the bright red arrow and the seemingly endless terrain to cover.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

I've never wished for someone's death before, but at this point unless someone else dies and the arena changes, I will probably die. Last night I nearly froze to death. I can't even start a fire for fear that the career tributes would find me and then I'd be dead for sure. Yesterday I tried to cover as much land as possible but I can't stop shivering and I've slipped so many times on the frozen soil. In addition, my food supply is nearly out and I can't hunt because the tundra is void of animals.

Last night I tried to eat some of the leaves off the shrubs, but I couldn't get any substance out of the leaves. I sucked on them and chewed them as I walked, but it did nothing to stop the pangs of hunger in my stomach.


	36. Chapter 36: Day 7 in the arena

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 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 36**

 **Day 7 in the arena**

 **Zable Keenhorn's POV (District 12 female)**

It's still dark, but I think it must be early morning rather than late night when I hear the beeping. Another sponsor. Before I even open it, I whisper softly. "Thank you." The cameras and microphones will have picked it up and will play it louder, but I don't want any tributes that may be nearby to hear me. Inside the packet is a note like last time.

 _Zable,_

 _Keep warm._

 _~T_

Underneath the note is a sleeping bag. I smile at the thought of finally getting a little bit of warmth. "Thank you," I whisper again. "Thank you so much." I am just wiggling into it and starting to warm up slightly when I hear it. A howling.

I turn my head and in the moonlight I see a horrific beast beginning to run towards me. I scramble up quickly, fumbling to get my dart gun. I aim and shoot. At first I am relived when I see that the dart hits the beast, but then it doesn't stop. My darts are useless against it. There is nothing for it but to run. I bundle my things up in a second and am off, not even bothering to check which direction I need to run in according to the arrow.

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male)**

I am twiddling the ring that Reed gave me as my token trying to decide whether it was worth digging into my final tin of food that came in my pack from the bloodbath when I hear the howl. I turn, knowing that some sort of mutt must be nearby.

Crashing towards me is a werewolf. My heart begins to pound in my chest. I try to remain calm though, taking a throwing knife and aiming. I've been training for a moment like this my whole life. I throw the knife and watch as it glides through the air and lands in the werewolf's shoulder. It barely stumbles though. I realise my best option is to flee. Maybe I can figure out how to kill it when I'm running. My sword is in my hand and my pack on my back in a moment and I am off.

I don't know how long I'm running for before I see someone running towards me in the distance. I can see another werewolf following them too. Clearly things have been getting too boring for the game maker's tastes. I need to get my family to the Capitol though, so I will give them a good show. The werewolves slow down as we approach each other.

In the dim moonlight I can only tell that my opponent is a girl. I don't know who though. It could be anyone really. I hear a whistle through the air and a dart whooshes past my ear. So she's armed. It's probably too dark for her to be able to see me well. I'm at an advantage as I'm facing the moon so I can see her better. She begins to back away when she see the dart misses, presumably to reload, but the werewolf behind her steps closer. The message is clear: fight or the mutts kill us.

My sword held up, I launch an attack. It doesn't take me long to get her pinned to the ground, my sword pulled to her neck ready to slit it. It's now that I'm close up that I can see who it is, the girl from 12, Zable.

"I hope you rot in hell," She spits in my face before I pull the sword across her neck and blood pulls out. I sigh in relief as the werewolves slink away. That's another family member that I can take to the Capitol.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

As it approaches midday I decide to allow myself a nap. I'm going to have to get some rest if I'm going to carry on at the pace I'm going through the arena. I've just been jogging and walking with small rests to eat and sleep. Not that I've eaten or slept much since getting in the arena. I'm glad that the arena changed in the early hours of the morning. I wasn't sure how much longer I could've survived that tundra.

This mountain that has taken its place is a slight improvement. There are at least small shrubs and trees. I've also noticed that the wind isn't as bitterly cold as it was. Mountains aren't much easier to survive in though. I'm pretty high up, not high enough that the air has got thin, but high enough that all I can hear is the wind howling around me.

I stop at a tree. I don't know what animals roam the mountains so it's safer to sleep off the ground. I just hope that I don't roll out of the tree in my sleep. I climb up easily and sit with my legs stretched onto a thin branch and back on the trunk. Then I begin to rub my hands together, trying to get some warmth into them before I doze off.

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)**

URGH! The number of times I have almost MURDERED the other career tributes! If they didn't have Port to protect them and 'calm me' they would be dead meat. Now I know we will "do better as a team" and we "have to support each other" but look how that turned out for Lucina and Kaitlin! We were a team and then she betrayed us. We were a team and then Damian stole my kill. We were a team, but now we most definitely aren't.

At least someone died so we don't have to suffer in freezing temperatures. The wind keeps blowing my hair in my face though. I'm sorely tempted to take a leaf out of one of those old princess movies, Mulan I think it was called, and chop it all off. So yeah. Life is pretty miserable. I really just want this to end.

As I contemplate this, Kellan decides to speak. "Should we hunt?" he asks, stupidly.

"Of course, we should hunt!" I exclaim, "how else are we going to stay alive!?"

He quickly tries to sooth me, "Sorry, I was just checking, didn't mean to offend"

"Urgh whatever." I snatch up my pack and begin to hike again.

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female)**

Thank the lord for whoever died last night! Even with all my new stolen supplies, I could've died had that continued for a while. As grateful as I am, this whole mountain thing is becoming very annoying. The ground, though completely thawed, is now dusty and I've slipped four times. I can't imagine what it would be like if I were further into the arena than I am now.

As night falls once more, I spot a larger tree with stronger-looking branches and hasten towards it. I check to ensure that no animals are in the tree and then set down my pack. Unwinding several meters of rope, I grab hold of one end and try to fling it over one of the lower branches. After many unsuccessful tries, I manage to loop one end over the tree branch.

Using the loop as leverage, I yank myself up and over the low branch. I then spend several minutes trying to adjust my backpack to a comfortable position and tie myself to the tree.

Once I'm finally adjusted and reasonably comfortable, I stare up at the sky. Eventually, the pseudo sun falls, and the nightly report shines on the screen. The only reason I am watching it is to figure out who's dead and who's still in the arena. I really hope another one of the career tributes died.

The capitol anthem plays, and the insignia lights up the night sky. They run through shots of the tributes traversing the mountain range and then finally show the deaths. I watch so many familiar faces appear on the screen. Clover. Greyson. Andre. Nyan and Aileen. Alphie. And finally, Zable. I watch them each light up, then dim out, just as their lives did.

 ** _ **Deaths:**_**

 ** _ **24**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Alphie Rivera (D10M) - Killed by D7M**_**

 ** _ **23**_** ** _ **rd**_** ** _ **\- Kaitlin Gem (D4F) - Killed by D2F**_**

 _ _ **22**__ _ _ **nd**__ _ _ **-**__ ** _ **Phytophthora Neilson (D7M) - Killed by D1M**_**

 ** _ **21**_** ** _ **st**_** ** _ **\- Nyan Donne (D3M) - Killed by D5M**_**

 ** _ **20**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Celica Branston (D10F) - Killed by D7F**_**

 ** _ **19**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Cabe Bellscape (D6M) - Killed by D2M**_**

 ** _ **18**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Andre Stitch (D8M) - Killed by D4M**_**

 ** _ **17**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Greyson Rennoll (D12M) - Killed by D1M**_**

 ** _ **16**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Clover Wellas (D9F) - Killed by D1F**_**

 ** _ **15**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **\- Aileen Kennedy (D3F) - Killed by D1F**_**

 ** _ **16**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **– Lucina Aquila (D2F) – Killed by D2M**_**

 ** _ **15**_** ** _ **th**_** ** _ **– Zable Keenhorn (D12F) – Killed by D5M)**_**


	37. Chapter 37: Day 8 in arena

**_Sorry it's been a while since the last update, we've been so busy and then there were lost flash drives and other stuff, anyway here it is. We hope you enjoy and please let us know what you think :)_**

 ** _Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 _ **~The Lonely Geek and Cct0331**_

 **Chapter 37**

 **Day 8 in the arena**

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

"She really needs to calm down," Kellan mutters to me as we walk behind Gabrielle, who is raging as usual, and Port, who is trying to calm her down. I nod in agreement. Technically the rest of the careers could blame me for Gabrielle's mood because I did take her kill. It wasn't really my fault though. She wasn't fast enough and I want to get my family to the Capitol. It's not my fault that she's a pampered little princess who throws a tantrum whenever she doesn't get her own way.

"I can hear you two whispering about me!" Gabrielle screams, turning around to face Kellan and I. Port quickly jumps in to try to pacify the situation.

"How about me and Gabrielle go hunting for food and you two start making a shelter," He suggests. "We could all do with some rest." Gabrielle mutters something about never making it to the finish line if we keep stopping, but she agrees and the two of them wander off. I am secretly relieved that she is hunting and not shelter making. Better her take her anger out on the local wildlife so we can eat instead of taking it out on us.

"Wow," Kellan says a while later when the two of them return, their packs heavy with fresh meat. "That's loads, good hunting Gabrielle." He compliments in hope of getting back in her good books, but she flashes him a look of anger.

"I know I did good," She hisses, beginning to clean her arrows. "I don't need you to tell me."

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

" _I'm sorry," I whisper, staring at the pool of blood on Cel._

" _It's okay," She manages to say before she goes limp and I pull the knife out of her body, desperate to get away. Just as I am starting to run a hand that is slick with blood grabs my wrist. I turn and see Cel sitting up, blood still gushing from her wounds. Her face is deadly white. "Murderer!" She screams._

Her voice rings through my head, repeating again and again as I sit up, panting slightly. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Except it wasn't. I did kill Cel. I run a hand through my hair, my heart still pounding from the nightmare as I look around. It looks like it's about the middle of the afternoon. I should get going. I never even meant to fall asleep, I was just going to sit down for a few minutes. The games are slowly sapping the energy out of me. I need to be more careful. Maybe start taking more rests, but have shorter ones.

I gather my things up, clutching the wrist that only a few moments previously Cel grabbed in my dream. I quickly let go of my wrist though. My hand is slick with sweat from the dream and it feels too much like the blood that Cel's hand was covered in. Even though I can't see the blood remaining on my wrist, even though it was never really there, I can't help but know that I am covered in the blood of Cel.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

Maisie walks in front of me, her footsteps crunching on the small rocks and soil underfoot. At this point, Maisie is the only thing keeping me going. So many times, I have felt like just giving up but then I hear her poetry or see her peaceful smile when she sleeps and it all seems worth it if I can keep her alive. We started hiking up the mountain this morning. So far we've had luck not to run into anyone; perhaps the gamemakers are finally on our side.

"Can we stop up here for a short break?" Maisie inquires. She is used to the long hours of walking, but the heavy packs we wear really take a toll on both of us.

"Sure" I reply, grateful for the excuse for a rest.

We come to a small flat portion of the trail with a huge boulder on the side and set down our packs. She leans against the rock and hums to herself. I join her and she leans her head against my shoulder. If there is any way to ensure this tiny angel makes it to the finish-line, I am willing to sacrifice so much for her.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

Truth be told, with one week gone I have no clue how far I've walked. The mountain is better than the freezing tundra, but not by much. As I hike, I look out for any and every possible food source. Eventually I spot a small rodent, not one I recognize, but maybe it's common in other parts of Panem. Regardless, I wait for it to turn away from me and then I swing my mace down onto the tail. I then snap its neck, trying to preserve as much of the body as possible for meat.  
Bloom would've pointed at it and giggled, thinking it was the mouse from a children's story I used to tell her. I hope she didn't watch me kill it. I need Addy to preserve her innocence and not let her watch me suffer.

Returning to my original point: the rodent was tasteless, but at least I was able to save my remaining 4 crackers. I hang the dead animal on my pack, deciding to wait until later to cook it. At least I know I have protein tonight.

The mountain looks endless up ahead of me, a never ending upward slope. Eventually the arena will change, but until then, I continue upward with no visible end in sight.


	38. Chapter 38: Day 9 in the arena

**_Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 **Chapter 38**

 **Day 9 in the arena**

 **Vicuna Addens' POV (District 8 female)**

Sighing softly, I close my bottle of water and continue on. This arena seems never ending. I'm starting to lose track of the days. It's been over a week. I know that. Despite the changes in landscape, every day just blurs into the next. Things have been quiet since I escaped from the careers, whether it's because I provided entertainment by making the careers turn on each other there's just other things going on in the arena, I don't know. I just hope the game makers don't suddenly decide to send a mutt chasing after me to make things more interesting.

I know that I need to start getting some kills in though. I'm terrified by just the thought of murdering someone, but I want to try and get as much of my family to the Capitol as possible. My first two kills will get my siblings there and my second two my parents. If I can get four kills that is. My parents wouldn't want to live in the Capitol without us though, so if I want to see my parents again after I've won, I need to get four kills in.

I sigh again as I feel a droplet of rain fall. Ordinarily, in the hunger games rain is a good thing. It's a safe source of water after all. On this mountain though, there seems to be an abundance of small streams so water isn't an issue. I am tempted to find a small cave or sheltered rock to hide behind until the rain passes, but then I remember I still need to get my kills and reach the end of the arena. I'm never going to make it if I stop at the slightest bit of bad weather. It's the thought of my family that keeps me going as the rain continues to fall. At least it's not too heavy, only a shower.

It goes on for maybe an hour, and when I pause to have another sip from my bottle, I can see a rainbow forming, the colours bright in the sky. I can't remember the last time I saw a rainbow. I never thought anything that I saw in the arena could be beautiful. This rainbow is though. As the rain begins to clear, it brings me a bit more hope. I can get through this.

 **Maisie Bismarck's POV (District 11 female)**

My stomach begins to rumble loudly and Delilah looks at my anxiously. "I'm fine," I tell her, though we both know that I'm lying. Both of us are hungry and we only have one breadstick left. Delilah's face is pinched thin and I'm guessing that I must be similarly thin. We've tried hunting with the sponsored knife, but had no luck.

"You have it," Delilah says, pulling her pack off to give me our last piece of food. I shake my head though. Delilah and I have become pretty close since entering the arena. I think that I would've gone crazy without her. I tell her poems and she tells me about books that she's read. Talking to her... makes all this seem nearly normal. She's the best ally I could've asked for. I can't eat our last piece of food.

"No," I tell her, refusing it.

"It's only going to go stale and then it'll waste," She shrugs still holding it out for me.

"You have it and it won't go to waste," I reply, still refusing to take it. She's the one that's carrying out tent today. She needs it more.

"Half each?" She smiles slightly at the fact that neither of us want to deprive the other of food. I nod in agreement, but when she snaps it in two, I deliberately take the slightly smaller one.

"We can try hunting again tomorrow," I say, nibbling it. I want to make it last as long as possible.

"Yeah," She agrees. "The animals were probably just hiding because of the rain." But we both know that it's wishful thinking. At least when I go to sleep tonight with my stomach craving food, I won't be alone. I don't know what I'd do without Delilah.

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

I my legs and uncurled myself from my sleeping bag. Kellan is nowhere to be found, meaning he probably went out to find wood or refill our water. Gabrielle still is sleeping and I wouldn't dare wake her.

All of a sudden, I hear a rustling in the bushes and Kellan reappears. He looks frustrated and I say a quick prayer that the tension in our group won't erupt. Darius, who before was starting to set up a fire to cook, now stands and looks at me questioningly. I shrug and gesture towards Kellan.  
"Nothing! I don't know what the gamemakers did with all the animals, but they're all gone now!" He huffs.

I realize his pride probably took a hit at not being able to hunt. "Hey it's okay- we still have some leftover from last night and some canned stuff if that runs out."

"Yeah, its okay dude," Darius reassures.  
Having dealt with that issue, I walk over to help Darius pull out the leftover meat from yesterday. Gabrielle still hasn't woken up, and Kellan starts over towards her.

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

I walk towards the backpacks to collect all of my stuff. What's wrong with you? You saw those squirrels and even that fox! Why did you hesitate to kill them?! Its the Hunger Games: killing is normal. Those animals only exist as meat for us, the tributes! Why did my morals suddenly kick in? Urgh if the other careers found out, they'd think I was a wimp.

I crouch down and begin to pack up my bag, shifting my weapons to the side and grabbing a bottle of water. I splash a little bit on my face to disguise the tears I feel growing in the corners of my eyes. Showing weakness will get you killed! You've gotta snap out of this mindset or it won't end well for you.

Suddenly, Gabrielle jolts awake and jumps to her feet. Her hand reaches back to her knives. I shout "Woah" and stumble backwards. After the initial shock wears off, she realizes it's me and lowers her knife. She scowls and shakes her head, as though to clear it, returning the knife to its sheath. Together, we walk back toward Port and Darius, who seem to have missed her panic.

"Who went hunting?" Gabrielle asks.

"Kellan, but we're eating the leftover meat from last night because the gamemakers removed all the animals." Port answers, accepting my earlier explanation.

"Pshh that's stupid- Kellan probably just wandered off for a while and didn't look."

"Regardless, we're having leftovers."

"No,"

"Well what, then?" Port begins to sound exasperated.

Gabrielle doesn't answer, just kicks the dirt around her foot and shouts "ERGGG!"

Port shrugs and turns around to continue helping Darius. Gabrielle points at me and screams "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU'D JUST ACTUALLY DONE YOUR JOB WE WOULD'NT BE IN THIS PROBLEM NOW!" I exhale loudly, trying not to scream back at her. I clench my fists and close my eyes in anger.

"Yeah and I'm sure you could do so much better than me." I allow a little bit of sarcasm to seep into my voice.

"Well duh, you can't do anything! I don't even know why I stay with you guys! It would honestly be bet-"

Darius cuts her off "You know what! I'm sick and tired of you being a little brat when things don't go your way. You would be dead without us and right now I'm liking that option more than keeping you alive."

He reaches down into his bag and Gabrielle reaches once again for her knives.


	39. Chapter 39: Day 10 in the arena

**_Remember to sponsor: PM Lonely Geek or Cct0331 with the item you want to sponsor and who you want to sponsor it to (unless you are a guest then leave a review). Please also check if you have enough sponsor points for the item you want to sponsor (lists are on Lonely Geek's profile) because it's just plain annoying when someone tries to sponsor something they don't have enough points for and we're both really busy atm._**

 ** _You may only sponsor within 48 hours of a chapter being posted, if we don't get your PM/review until after the 48 hours is up, but you still sent it within the 48 hours, that is fine, we can't be online all the time. We just have to put a 48 hour deadline on it because we need to plan whose POVs will be in each chapter and have time to write it._**

 ** _Happy sponsoring and we hope you enjoy this chapter :)_**

 _ **Disclaimer: This is a FANfic, clearly we're fans not Suzanne Collins the hunger games universe belongs to her not us (however much we wish otherwise).**_

 **Chapter 38**

 **Day 9 in arena**

 **Gabrielle Duponte's POV (District 1 female)**

I take a moment to take a breath, the knives in my hand ready to throw. I'm sick of this. He's clearly not a real career. All he's done is whine. This needs to be done. Besides, it's one more kill. He'll be my third. I throw the first knife, but he jumps out of the way, nearly slamming straight into Port. Idiot. Port and Kellan glance at each other before they run a little way off, leaving Darius and I to fight it out.

He holds his sword up and begins walking towards me. He'll have to get close to me to hurt me. I throw another knife quickly and I hit, but a sudden gust of wind caused it to change course slightly. It only gets his leg. He's injured though. That'll make him easier to kill. Other than a slight flicker of pain, he barely acknowledges the knife lodged in him. He steps towards me clumsily and I decide to use the final knife in my hand to stab him, not throw.

"You won't win this," He tells me as a hold my knife out. He aims a blow at me, but I easily block it.

"You sure about that?" I ask through gritted teeth, using my knife to block another blow.

"Pretty," He mutters, twisting his sword around so that I am forced to drop the knife. I let out a small cry of frustration before he kicks me with his good leg. The kick pushes me off my feet and I land on my back. In the second it takes to catch my breath again, my knife has been kicked away from us so I can't grab it. I try to stand, but he places his foot on my chest and raises his sword.

"Help!" I scream to the other careers. Why aren't they helping me? He's clearly a traitor. They all are. I try to pull the knife out of his leg, but he puts the sword tip on my exposed neck and all I can do is scrabble and scratch his ankle.

"You bought this on yourself," He says as I close my eyes as he pushes his sword down. Pain. I barely have the strength to flutter my eyes open. But as I do I see him walking away, stumbling now with blood coming down his leg. Good. That is my last thought before I am pulled into oblivion.

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 male)**

After killing Zable, I took her sleeping bag and several other small items she had on her person. Thoroughly exhausted by my sudden sprint from werewolves and battle with Zable, I decide to rest for a few moments just to regain my strength. The new sleeping bag allowed me to rest much more comfortably than I have been in the last week and a half. I've spent the last couple of days resting up, but my plan is to move on tomorrow.

The hard mountain rocks still poke through and make rest difficult to come by, but the sleeping bag pads my back and keeps the wind from biting at my skin. My eyes have been burning from all the mountainous dust that blows into my eyes.

Just as I'm starting to drift off, I hear a loud bang and suddenly I taste salt. The sleeping bag fills with water and I become completely drenched instantaneously.

I notice my backpack floating off, but I'm struggling to keep afloat as it is. My eyes, previously burning from dust, now itch with salt water. Swimming was never really a strength of mine- in fact it might actually be a weakness. Reed did teach me how to float, but I never really got the hang of actually moving in the water.

I try to kick my way towards my backpack, but it stays out of reach. Cursing at the loss of supplies, I finally realize there is an island not too far from me.

After what feels like forever of kicking and scratching at the rocks, I am able to wade out of the water and onto a beach of some kind. I almost collapse onto the sand, but then I realize there might be other tributes on this island. I drag my body back up and trudge toward the cover. The island appears about the size of a small town and covered in tropical trees. After making it into more tree cover, I fall onto the ground and fall asleep.

 **Day 10 in arena**

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

As I wake, I remember the horrors of yesterday. There was a death which meant an arena change. The mountain changed into a huge sea with a bunch of islands. During the arena change, I ended up in the sea. I had to learn to swim – and quickly. I remembered from school that if I was full of oxygen, I would float. I went on my back and tried to keep a float while I figured out what to do. I was so far off from an island, that I could barely see one in the distance.

Getting to the island was a combination of flapping my arms and legs like crazy and taking breaks by floating. I tried to ignore the fact that there were probably some shark mutts in the water with me, circling me, ready to eat me. As soon as I reached the island, I collapsed. I was so exhausted. I didn't even bother checking to see if there were any other tributes on the island.

Fortunately, there was a small stream on the island that I could drink from once I had enough energy to drag myself over to it. I also found some nuts on a bush, so there's food, but I need to decide if I should continue or not. I could wait it out for the next death and not risk drowning or being eaten by the some water mutt. Or I could I stay and risk someone coming to my island. Either way things don't look good. I think I'll try to practise my swimming technique in the shallows nearby the island, depending on how well that goes, I'll go on. I want to keep moving. That has been my strategy so far and it's worked. Wiping the sand off me, I walk over to the dreaded ocean edge. I guess now is the time to find out if I sink or swim.

 **Lena Grey's POV (District 5 female)**

I wake up and as usual everything aches. However, this time, different parts of my body hurt. My throat and eyes hurt from almost drowning and arm muscles I didn't know existed now burn like the fire-y depths of you-know-where.

At least I made it- I can't imagine what it would be like to drown. Thankfully, this island appears very small, so I doubt any other tributes are on it.

All of my clothes and supplies were drenched by the time I made it, but I was smart enough to leave some of my items out to dry. I now retrieved my backpack from where I slung it on a nearby tree. Most of the food I had, which granted is not much, is still edible because it is either canned or in plastic packaging. So truthfully, I am better off than I could be.

I peel my gross, still slightly damp shirt off my body and hang it in the place my backpack was previously. I decide I should probably check to make sure the island is vacant and maybe scout a better place or more food and water.

After a few moments of consideration, I decide that for today I will just try to scout the perimeter the island and then see what I can find. Collecting myself, wringing the remaining water out of my hair, and wincing at my soreness, I begin my trek.

 ** _Deaths:_**

 _ **24**_ _ **th**_ ** _\- Alphie Rivera (D10M) - Killed by D7M_**

 ** _23_** ** _rd_** ** _\- Kaitlin Gem (D4F) - Killed by D2F_**

 _ **22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **-**_ ** _Phytophthora Neilson (D7M) - Killed by D1M_**

 ** _21_** _ **st**_ _ **\- Nyan Donne (D3M) - Killed by D5M**_

 ** _20_** _ **th**_ _ **\- Celica Branston (D10F) - Killed by D7F**_

 ** _19_** _ **th**_ _ **\- Cabe Bellscape (D6M) - Killed by D2M**_

 _ **18**_ _ **th**_ ** _\- Andre Stitch (D8M) - Killed by D4M_**

 _ **17**_ _ **th**_ _ **\- Greyson Rennoll (D12M) - Killed by D1M**_

 ** _16_** _ **th**_ ** _\- Clover Wellas (D9F) - Killed by D1F_**

 ** _15_** ** _th_** ** _\- Aileen Kennedy (D3F) - Killed by D1F_**

 _ **14**_ ** _th_** ** _–_** _ **Lucina Aquila (D2F) – Killed by D2M**_

 ** _13_** _ **th**_ _ **–**_ _ **Zable Keenhorn (D12F) – Killed by D5M**_

 ** _12_** _ **th**_ ** _–_** _ **Gabrielle Duponte (D1F) – Killed by D2M**_


	40. Chapter 40: Day 11 in the arena

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 **Day 11 in the arena**

 **Vanisa Tildene's POV (District 7 female)**

I sigh, looking across the sea, wondering what my next move should be. I lost all my supplies except my knife to the sea when the arena changed. Fortunately for me, I wasn't too far from an island. There are loads of small islands nearby, but I don't know if I should continue on or not. My swimming skills aren't great. There is one other option for me apart from swimming or staying put. I could attempt to build a raft.

On my island, there are a few fallen trees and I've checked my knife can saw through it. I don't know if it's worth making one though because the arena could change at any point. I decide to take a sip of water and eat some berries that I found when I first got to the island. Contemplating my options, I wash my face in the stream. I probably look like a mess after close to two weeks in the arena.

Realising that I don't have a lot to lose by trying a raft, I stand up with my knife in my hand. If I can use vine to secure branches of the trees, I might be able to make some sort of makeshift raft to navigate the clusters of islands amongst the sea that the arena has turned into. It might give me some sort of advantage over the other tributes. I doubt many of the tributes, except the male tribute from District 4, are able to swim well. They'll either be staying on whatever island they're on, or be moving slowly across the islands.

Coming from 7, I know quite a bit about wood so I'm fairly certain I should be able to build even a rudimentary raft. I can use a scrap piece of wood as a paddle to control my direction. It takes me most of the day to collect and saw bits of wood to the right size to be suitable. Once I have all the pieces of wood it doesn't take long to assemble the raft.

My hands are blistering slightly from sawing most of the day, but I think it'll be worth it. I just need to make sure that I continue to keep an eye on them, making sure that they don't pop and get infected. It doesn't take much time to gather enough vine to assemble the pieces of wood into a raft. It is finished just as the sun is beginning to set. It's too late now to set out for the next island, but I give it a quick test so that I know that it will definitely float in the morning. It takes a couple of attempts to figure out that I need to balance my weight out, but it does take my weight. I smile, the long day was worth it. I'll begin onwards tomorrow.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

I wake up to the harsh sunlight on my face. I groan, rubbing my eyes, then groan again as I realise that I just rubbed sand in my eyes. I flop back in the sand, annoyed by the start to the day. I was stupid enough not to sleep somewhere with shelter and now I've got sunburnt. My skin doesn't feel too painful though. Fortunately it's not too late in the day, so my skin has only turned slightly red so hopefully I should be fine. I just need to try to keep out of the sun. It's easier said than done though. If I want to keep moving, like my strategy has been for most of the games, then I will be forced out into the sun to be able to swim to the next island.

Maybe I can figure some sort of way to cover my whole body while I swim though. If I wear the jacket that I came into the arena wearing instead of putting it in the pack I got at the cornucopia with the crackers and water bottle in. My trousers cover my legs so I should be okay. My only concern is that I can't swim well. I was lucky when the arena changed, I didn't end up in the sea. I was on the island that I'm on now. I spent time yesterday figuring out how to swim, so I think I can just about make it to another island.

I just have to hope that nothing goes wrong. If the game makers start up a storm or make the waves more powerful, then I'm effectively dead. I have to risk it though. I've only got just over a week to make it out of the arena and I have no idea how long I have to go. I just need to keep moving and hope that I'm close. Once I've had a drink and food, I begin walking into the ocean, shivering slightly at the temperature difference between the air around me and the sea.

 **Darius Vaide's POV (District 2 male)**

MY LEG BURNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. That's the only thing I can think right now. The moment the arena changed, my leg suddenly stung like the inside of the devil's butt-crack. The salt water on the fresh wound felt like I was getting stabbed over and over with a poisoned knife.

Not only that, but we were stranded almost three kilometers away from the nearest island. Thankfully Port is a brilliant swimmer and was able to gather the majority of our supplies and Kellan and I floundered and struggled to stay afloat until Port could return to rescue us too.

When we finally made it to the island, my wound had thankfully stopped bleeding but it was still incredibly painful. Kellan wrapped it with a bit of cloth, but since all our supplies and clothing were drenched, it didn't help much.

I sit up and slowly open my eyes, not wanting to look at my leg. People say salt water is good for wounds, but I'm not seeing any positive effects. The skin around it has swollen and puffed, making the wound itself hard to see. I don't even want to think about infection, but with the exposure to unclean water, I probably have thousands of festering bacteria. I nearly heave at the thought.  
Port is already up and moving around.

"How's it feeling?" he asks, sure to keep his distance, "I didn't want to disturb your rest but it looks kinda gross."

"Yeah its not great," I reply, tapping the wound slightly and feeling another rush of pain. I start to stand, but Port gestures for me to stay where I am.

"Chill, its okay. I got this."

"Okay thanks," I say gratefully, shifting my weight to a more comfortable position. The island we found refuge on would be beautiful in any other circumstances. The gleaming water leads onto a sandy beach covered in glittering rocks and small shrub-like vegetation. A little ways up from where we set camp, a large grove of palm trees surrounds the center of the island and looks like it is practically exploding with color.

Very little in life, and even less in the arena is nice to look at, so I settle in and appreciate this respite.

 **Delilah Hester's POV (District 6 female)**

I wake up and move to stretch, but my arm is caught under Maisie's head. This isn't the first time I've woken up like this, and I am so happy each time. She looks genuinely content in this moment and staring around at the island we landed on I am so grateful for her company.

Yesterday the cannon went off and I panicked because I felt water and thought we were going to drown.

Thankfully, it turned out the gamemakers had been nice enough to place an island only 15 metres from where we landed and the water was shallow enough that I could stand on my tiptoes. Maisie was not tall enough, but I carried her until she could touch the ground. Looking back, I wonder if the gamemakers planned for each of the tributes to be stranded on islands or if some were left in the water.

Anyway, we got to the island and we still had daylight time to search the area, which was good because otherwise our aching stomachs would not have allowed us to sleep. On many bushes around the island we found small berries Maisie recognized from plants growing back in District 11. We stripped an entire bush clean of them before settling down next to some larger grasses and palm trees. Maisie began reciting poetry and I must have drifted to sleep.

As I think back on the events of yesterday, Maisie begins to stir next to me. Her eyes suddenly dart open and she jolts up. "Hey it's okay, you're okay," I try to comfort her. I suspect she has horrible nightmares she just doesn't share with me, because sometimes she seems reluctant to sleep.

She takes a deep breath and reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I know," she says smiling softly. I stand and pull her up with me.

"Can you teach me one of the poems from that little book you carry around?" Despite all the rough conditions, she never leaves that book anywhere and takes care of it as best she can. Yesterday, as soon as she realized the arena changed, she made sure her small journal hadn't floated off and when we got to land she laid out the pages to dry. I've hardly ever seen her without it because even when she sleeps she tucks it under her arm.

Her face lights up at the suggestion. "Do you really want to?"

"Of course!" I reply. With a new energy, she quickly removes the small book and riffles through it. Soon however, she seems to have a realization and puts the journal away.

"I can teach you one that existed before the dark days and my dad used to tell me when I had panic attacks" she offers.

"That sounds lovely," I smile and vow to master this poem. For her.


	41. Chapter 41: Day 12 in the arena

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 **Day 12 in the arena**

 **Vicuna Addens' POV**

I look out into the distance, trying to figure out which island that I should swim to next. I am fortunate that I know how to swim because this new arena involves lots of water. I've taken it as an opportunity to try to make it as far across the arena as possible. I managed to make it a long way yesterday and I'm hoping to do the same again. I just need to make sure that I'm careful about not drinking any of the water though. I did that yesterday by accident and the game makers must have made the water really salty so I needed some normal water to drink because I was so thirsty. Other than that, I don't think that there were other side effects.

"Let's do this," I murmur to myself, deciding on the island to swim to. I take a last handful of berries and I eat them quickly. I'm practically stripping every island of berries when I reach them, partly because with all the swimming I'm getting hungry and want to lose as little weight as possible and partly so that anyone that gets to the island after me doesn't have much to eat.

I wade into the water slowly. I shiver slightly as I enter the water. The water always feels cold at first because of the warm air of the arena. The water warms up as the day goes on so I just try to ignore the water that is causing my arms to begin to get goosebumps. I take a deep breath before I dive in. Cold water surrounds me and I quickly come up for air. I run my fingers through my straggly hair before I begin swimming. Submerging myself completely before swimming makes coping with the coldness.

 **Maisie Bismark's POV (District 11 female)**

"Hope is the thing with feathers  
That perches in the soul,  
And sings the tune without the words,  
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;  
And sore must be the storm  
That could abash the little bird  
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,  
And on the strangest sea;  
Yet, never, in extremity,  
It asked a crumb of me."

"That's perfect," I smile at Delilah as she finishes the poem that I taught her. Yesterday she asked me to teach her a poem. The one I taught her is one of my favourites. It surprised me how quickly she managed to memorise it. I smile mischievously as we walk along the beach of our island. I kick my leg out into the water so the cold water splashes up at Delilah.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, half laughing, before getting her revenge by splashing me back but I duck so the droplets of salty water fly over my head.

"Missed," I smirk. There's not a lot that we can do until the arena changes. Neither of us can swim so we're stuck here. We've been spending our time just chatting and getting to know each other. Sometimes I recite poetry and we exchange stories of life in our districts. Maybe we'll be able to win the hearts over of people in the Capitol and get sponsors. It's not very likely, but it could happen.

"I don't miss twice," Delilah laughs, bending down and cupping up some of the water before tipping it down my neck. I squeal as the water drips down my back.

"Argh!" I scream trying to flap my top to get the water out. "Not fair." I cross my arms, pouting in fake anger. "I didn't do that much."

"You do it first you get it worst," She smirks as we continue on down the beach. I smile back, We've grown so close that I think of Delilah as almost like an older sister. Although we've only known each other for two weeks, we're as close as Tavish, my older brother, and I.

 **Damian Andel's POV (District 5 Male)**

My fingers ache as I try to tie together some ropelike vines. Though my nails have healed enough, they are still rough stubs of flesh that ache whenever I try to use my fingers. After waking up in a sandy forest, I tried to climb a tree to better see where I was. The combination of that effort plus the scrapes on my hands from the rocks as I swam in reduced the tips of my fingers to scabs.

I yelp in pain and drop the attempted rope as a group of fire-ants attempts to attack my toes.

"AAARRGGGGGGG" I say, momentarily becoming a pirate due to my frustration at not being able to make a net. Why does the universe hate me!? I already lost nearly all my possessions, with the exception of one knife and the clothes attached to my body. Taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself, I pick up the vines and start again.

Several hours later, I finally have a completed trap that looks relatively similar to something reed would make. Seeing it reminds me of him and I unconsciously rub my ring, the one reminder of home I truly have. Though I've been preparing for this game for nearly my whole life, I wish I could just take a shower and thoroughly wash my body for the first time in almost two weeks.

Standing, I stretch and sheathe my knife. I walk deeper into the forest, looking for a good location to set this trap. With a little bit of luck I will hopefully have some dinner!

 **Kellan Bronz's POV (District 1 male)**

Ever since my panic and inability to kill the fawn, I have resisted going hunting for fear that it will happen again. Port stepped up very easily as leader and seems incredibly confident in this type of arena. I watch him scouting the coast line and searching for crabs or other types of small seafood. Yesterday evening he managed some type of soup dish for dinner and I have to say it was incredibly good compared to the arena food we've been eating.

"Hey can you pass me the leaves near your hand," Darius asks. I silently pass them to him. He has been even less useful than me, due to his injury. It still looks pretty bad, but Port found some leaves he knows are clean and Darius has a pile of them to clean the wound every hour or so. Port begins to head over, holding a few crabs by the claws.

"Kellan, could you search for some small animals so we have some other food?" Port requests. My heart begins to pound and I swallow, trying to get rid of the lump forming in my throat. I wish I could refuse, but I need to help out somehow or I will become a kill for one of them. I need to prove I'm strong.

"Yeah, of course," I reply. I mentally thank the lord that my voice didn't shake as I said those words. I stand slowly and reach down to grab my spear. Despite not using it much, I still kept it very sharp in case any danger arose. Three days ago, holding my spear would've given me a sense of calm and control, but now I feel dread consume me and my palms begin to sweat. Taking a deep breath, I walk toward the woods. Thankfully, years of practice make searching for small game instinctual and I quickly spot some birds flying overhead. I close my eyes briefly and try to ignore the pounding in my ears.

I feel my arm moving instinctively and suddenly the bird lands at my feet. I snatch the spear and fling it once more, hitting another. A profound sadness overwhelms me, but also a sense of relief that I was successful. After staring for a few moments at the birds I grit my teeth and lift them gently, careful to not waste the meat. I hold them delicately all the way back to the camp.


	42. Chapter 42: Day 13 in the arena

**Day 13 in the arena**

 **Port Tidello's POV (District 4 male)**

"They're almost done," I tell the other two, turning over one of the birds that Kellan caught yesterday. Kellan seemed quiet when he returned yesterday, but I guess we're all quiet these days. There are only three careers left. That's not unusual at this stage in the games. But then there normally are more deaths by this point. I guess the game makers are trying to long it out though. We have three weeks to make it across the arena and just over two-thirds of that time has gone already. We must be near the end. Maybe they are keeping us alive for some kind of battle near the finish line.

"Thanks Port," Darius says, sitting on the sand next to their fire. "Have we got some berries to go with it." I nod, pointing to the pile that I put on a sheet by me so that they wouldn't get sandy.

"I'll divide it up," I tell Kellan and Darius, taking the bird off the fire. I use my knife to divide it into three roughly even parts.

"I'm assuming we're moving onwards again today," Kellan says partway through the meal. Darius nods.

"Maybe we'll come across some tributes today," I think all of us are getting frustrated about the lack of tributes we've come across since the bloodbath. All of us have people that we want to bring to the Capitol.

 **Lena Gray's POV (District 5 female)**

As it comes to the end of the day, I wearily sit down. I've swum quite a way today, but I need to rest now. I don't swim at night. I don't think that it would be safe. I can't see the bottom of the sea and I wouldn't put it past the game makers to send some sharks or some other horrific mutt chasing after me in the dark, ready to snap me up in a bite. It's just safer to rest at night. I'm hoping that I must be close to the end of the arena. It's been nearly two weeks and I've been going as fast as I can.

I still want a kill though. I only need one to be able to bring my dad to the capitol. I know I'm definitely not the strongest tribute in here, but maybe if I catch a younger tribute by surprise and I can do it without much of a struggle. I don't want to kill. Dad is all I have. After mum died... we only have each other. I have to get a kill in for him.

I trace my finger through the sand softly, watching as the sun sets, wondering how much longer I would be in here for. As selfish as it sounds, I hope someone dies soon. Swimming all day, especially when I'm not great at swimming, is exhausting. At least if someone died there'd be a new arena. And a new source of food. I've been living off berries that I've found on the island. Tomorrow I think I will try fishing instead. I have a couple of spears that I can use to try to stab them. I know that there are fish because I've seen them in the shallows when setting off from or arriving at an island. Maybe it'll taste better than berries. It'll give me more protein and energy anyway.

 **Orrick "Ric" Jamieson's POV (District 11 male)**

These islands aren't super far apart, but since this is my first time trying to swim, I struggle even just a mile. New muscles I didn't know existed now burn with soreness every morning. My eyes and hands are raw due to the constant salt water and scrambling on rocks. Swimming feels endless, but I've learned how to float so I can take short breaks to catch my breath and rest my arms. I try not to imagine drowning and how deep this water probably is, but my nightmares now are centered around those thoughts.

I quickly pull myself away from my imagination and spot my new favorite sight: Shoreline.  
"Thank god!" I gasp quietly as I'm filled with a renewed sense of vigor and relief. It's still probably a kilometer or so to the shore, but compared to an unknown time of extended swimming, I'm incredibly thankful.

I continue my steady pace onward, when suddenly I feel a sharp burn on my left calf. I yelp and look down to see a red welt forming in a line and a jellyfish next to my leg.  
I try to swim away rapidly, but apparently this is jellyfish territory and as soon as I think I'm out of range another one stings my opposite leg. Now, with both legs burning and beginning to swell, I decide to just speed to shore as fast as humanly possible. Despite moving as quickly as I can, I'm still an amateur swimmer and it takes me seemingly forever to arrive on shore. In this time, I get stung twice more, both on the left thigh.

By the time I reach shore, my arms feel as though they are going to fall off due to exertion, and my left leg has swollen to nearly 1 and ½ times its normal size. I drag myself up the beach and under the shelter of some trees before allowing myself to inspect the injuries.

Two intersecting rings of raised bubbles circle my left thigh and one traces the line of my calf muscle. The one on my right leg is much less swollen, but still looks as though I have an incredibly bad sunburn in one streak down my leg. Hopefully the swelling goes down and the pain becomes more bearable, but until then I guess I'm stuck on this island.

 **Marcus Thresher's POV (District 9 male)**

So, it turns out I'm incredibly good at one thing: sinking. I've been trying to swim in the shallows for 3 days now and I am still unable to move more than a body-length without touching the ground.  
Grabbing hold of a tree root hanging above me, I pull myself up and walk back over to the makeshift home I've established for myself. I attached my sleeping bag and supplies about 15 feet up a tree- off the ground so the nocturnal animals I've seen can't ruin the few items I have. The rope fastens around the trunk of the tree and a portion hangs loose now because I don't have it tied around me.

Thankfully, my tree climbing skills are much better than my swimming abilities and the practice of the last few days has ensured I could climb this tree blindfolded. I scamper quickly up, careful to attach myself immediately using the rope. My balance isn't great, and within the first minute of climbing this tree, I realized I needed a way to harness myself so I wouldn't fall.

I have grown accustomed to walking around the tree and don't trip as often, but I still feel safer with the rope fastened around my waist. I slide the rope further up the trunk and climb to a lookout point. From this point, I can see a few islands. The closest is to my right, in the opposite direction of the giant red arrow. That's the only one that looks remotely reachable, but as it's in the wrong direction, it has no worth to me. The only other ones I can see are a chain of three islands in the distance- despite being generally the right path, much too far for me to travel. I've seen this same view every day since the switch, yet every evening I climb up here- just in case I spot something new or by some miracle there is a new island much closer. I'm pretty much stuck here until another death and arena change- hopefully soon.

I climb back down and gather a collection of nuts from the surrounding trees before retiring to my sleeping bag. I am tying the safety rope around my waist when I hear grunts of pain and some indistinguishable words. Another tribute. Oh no.

My hands begin to shake as I carefully fasten the rope loosely and try to creep out to see which tribute it is. This could be my chance to guarantee an arena change. I can tell by the sounds of pain that its only one person and definitely male, but that narrows it down to either district 5 or the district 11, as the other male tributes are careers and would be in a group.

Slowly, I sneak onto a branch where I can see the tribute. District 11. I forget his name- was its Owen or Oscar or something? I have no clue. Regardless, he's on my island.

I weigh my chances of survival if he found out I was here. On the one hand, he's injured, but also strength-wise he could probably just crush me. That prospect convinces me that my only chance of survival is if I caught him off guard and then ran away as quickly as possible. All these possibilities race through my mind, but right now I can't do anything, so I settle down on the tree branch, keeping him in sight, and try to come up with a plan.


End file.
